A specialPOCSO courtin Odisha’s Bargarh has awarded the death penalty to Prashant Bag, who was found guilty in a case involving the rape and murder of a minor girl. The designated court pronounced the verdict after concluding that the crime fell under the “rarest of rare” category, official sources said on Tuesday.

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According to the sources, the court has sentenced the perpetrator to death by hanging. An unimaginable incident had occurred on November 15, 2024, in the Paikamal Police Station area of Bargarh district. The convicted Prashant Bag had lured a 5-year-old minor girl from her home by saying he had been taking her to catch fish, took her to a nearby forest, raped her, and later brutally murdered her.

The judgment was delivered after examining the statements from at least 37 prosecution witnesses, which played a crucial role in establishing the accused's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to provide Rs 15 lakh as compensation to the rape victim’s family.

During the investigation, the Bargarh Superintendent of Police (SP) closely monitored the case under the directives of the Northern Range Inspector General of Police (IGP), Himanshu Lal, ensuring procedural compliance and timely progress. The verdict has been seen as a significant step toward delivering justice in crimes against children.

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“A rape and murder case was previously registered at Paikamal Police Station in 2014. The POCSO court has sentenced the convict, Prashant Bag, in the case. Chargesheet was at that time submitted by the probe team within 20 days,” the Northern Range IG said to OTV.

“The case was then probed in a very scientific manner by Bargarh SP,” the IG added.