Man sentenced to death for raping minor in MP's Rehli town

A court in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district today awarded death sentence to a 40-year-old man for raping a minor, a verdict which came within 46 days of the incident.

Additional Session Judge Sudhanshu Saxena convicted Bhagirath Patel under section 376 (rape), 366 (abduction) of the IPC as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sentenced him to death, prosecution officer P L Rawat said.

The incident happened on May 21 this year and charges were framed against the accused last week.

Patel lured the 9-year-old victim and took her to a nearby temple in Khamaria village near Rehli and raped her, Rawat said.

The girl's family members were alerted by her cries for help. They reached the temple and saw the accused fleeing the spot, he said.

"Police completed the investigation in three days and filed a charge sheet on May 25. A total of 25 witnesses were presented before the court which delivered the verdict today after hearing arguments from both sides during the past three days," Rawat said.