Baripada: A Special Judge Court, Baripada, on Wednesday sentenced a man to death in the rape-murder of an eight-year old girl in Betinoti area of Mayurbhanj district.
On June 6, 2018, the convict, Jaminikanta Mahanta had abducted the minor girl of Garudabasa village while the villagers were busy in Raja celebrations. He offered sweets to the girl before taking her to a secluded place on his bicycle and raped her. He then strangulated the girl to death and dumped the body in a nearby forest. When she did not return, the family members and fellow villagers went looking for her.
They questioned Mahanta, whom some villagers had spotted with the girl. When he gave no proper answers, villagers thrashed him. He then confessed to the crime. Soon, the villagers rushed to the spot and recovered the body.
Mahanta was later arrested by police.
