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Journalism of Courage
A district court of Chandigarh has sentenced a man to life imprisonment in a three-year-old case involving the rape and murder of a girl.
The convict, Mohammad Sakir, a native of Bihar, was also fined Rs 50,000 by the court, by the Special Fast Track Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Dr Yashika.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on November 20, 2022, when Sakir raped an 18-year-old girl and then brutally murdered her. The case was registered on the complaint of the victim’s mother.
In her complaint, the victim’s mother stated that she was not at home on the day of the incident. She had left for work after dropping her six-year-old son at school, leaving her daughter alone at home. When she returned later, she found the door of the room open and her daughter lying unconscious inside. There were bloodstains on her clothes. Alarmed, she called neighbours for help and rushed her daughter to the hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. The police were subsequently informed, and an investigation was initiated.
During the investigation, police obtained CCTV footage from a camera installed near the victim’s house. The footage showed the accused entering the house at around 9.30 am and leaving alone nearly an hour later. Based on this crucial lead, the police arrested him.
Police had also collected DNA samples from the victim’s body, which were sent for forensic examination. The DNA report confirmed that the samples matched those of the accused, conclusively establishing his involvement in the crime. The forensic evidence, along with the CCTV footage, played a decisive role in securing the conviction.
During the trial, while the defence counsel argued that the accused has been falsely implicated in the case, the victim’s mother told the court that Sakir had been harassing her daughter even before the incident. She had stated that the accused had earlier lived as a tenant in the same house. On one occasion, she had confronted and warned him to stay away from her daughter. Despite this, he continued trying to contact her. She had also alleged that the accused had visited her daughter a few days before the incident.
The court, after considering all evidence and witness testimonies, found the accused guilty of rape and murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
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