Court hands life term to man convicted in rape and murder of minor girl

Kolkata, Aug 27 A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) court in North 24 Parganas district's Barasat in West Bengal on Wednesday sentenced a toto (battery-operated auto rickshaw) driver Soumitra Roy to life imprisonment.

The quantum of punishment was announced days after he was convicted in the rape and murder of a minor girl in Newtown area, northern extension of Kolkata.

The judge also ordered Roy to pay a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh.

The sentence was announced on Wednesday on the basis of all the documents and evidence in just seven months since the case was lodged. Soumitra Roy's lawyer, however, said that they will appeal against the POCSO court verdict in Calcutta High Court.

On the other hand, the family of the deceased teenager said they wanted the accused to be hanged.

The incident took place on February 7 this year.

The eighth standard student had left her home in Gauranganagar in Newtown, after a fight with her family the previous night.

Police investigation revealed that after her anger subsided, the teenager boarded Soumitra Roy's toto to return home.

The toto driver assured her that he would take her home.

However, instead of taking her home, he took her to several areas of Newtown and raped and murdered the minor there.

The teenager's half-naked body was recovered from a forest near Lohapool in Newtown, about six kilometres away from her house, on February 7 morning.

The accused Soumitra Roy was arrested the next day.

According to the police, a bunch of evidence including medical reports, digital, technical, biological proof were presented to the court in the case. Those proved that Soumitra Roy was involved in the rape and murder.

After seven months of trial, the judge found him guilty on Monday and announced the sentence on Wednesday.

Special Public Prosecutor Bibhas Chatterjee said that they had filed for a death sentence. However, the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment.

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