Angul: The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court on Friday awarded death penalty to the accused in the rape and murder of a minor girl at Kangula village in Angul district in January this year.
According to the case registered by the police, the 12-year-old minor girl was carrying food to his father when the accused, identified as Anama Dehuri, forcibly took her to a nearby bush and raped her. Later, he crushed her head with a stone.
After committing the crime, the accused fled to Parjang from where he boarded a truck and went to Kolkata.
The incident triggered widespread resentment with political parties and civil societies demanding immediate arrest of the accused.
Four special teams were formed to nab the accused. Finally, a six-member team led by the IIC of Angul Police Station Ramesh Bisoi and Special Squad Sub-Inspector Dinakrushna Mishra arrested the accused from the New Market area in Kolkata on July 23.
Police later brought the accused to Angul and following interrogation produced him before the court on Friday. The court, after going through the case and the statement of 36 witnesses, sentenced Dehuri to death.
