A court in Assam’s Bilasipara sentenced Utpal Roy to death after convicting him in the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl at Chapar in 2023.
The Additional District and Sessions Court in Bilasipara pronounced the verdict nearly three years after the child was allegedly raped and killed at Krishnakali Tea Estate in Chapar.
The girl went missing from her home in September 2023, following which police launched a search. Her body was recovered three days later from inside the tea garden with the help of a sniffer dog in the presence of a magistrate and forensic team.
According to the prosecution, Roy had taken the child into the tea garden, where he allegedly raped her and later killed her in an attempt to conceal the crime before leaving her body inside the tea estate.
Following a complaint from the girl’s family, Chapar Police registered case number 179/23 under Sections 363(A), 376, 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
After examining the evidence and hearing the proceedings, the court convicted Roy and awarded him the death penalty under the POCSO Act.
Government advocate Tapan Bhatt led the prosecution. Police officer Arpana Talukdar initially investigated the case, which was later taken over by Ranjit Kakati. Deepjyoti Ingti subsequently filed the chargesheet.
