Punjab: Jalandhar man gets death sentence for sexual assault and murder of 12-year-old girl
PTC Web Desk: A special fast-track court in Jalandhar awarded a death sentence to a resident of to Goraya for the sexual assault and murder of a 12-year–old girl. The accused was convicted by Additional Sessions Judge Archana Kamboj under Sections of 376 (rape), 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the IPC.
As per the police complaint, Gurpreet Singh Gopi had kidnapped the girl in February 2021. She lived near his house. A kidnapping case was registered and the police began further probe. However, during the course of the investigation, the mutilated body of the girl was recovered from the house of Gurpreet.
He confessed to his crime and said he killed the girl after sexually assaulting her. Later, the medical of the girl also confirmed that she was sexually assaulted many times before being strangulated to death.
How suspect was arrested?
According to reports, the girl went missing from a village in Goraya at 4.15 pm. Following this, her father began searching for her. She had last been seen playing outside the house at 2.45 pm. A police team was dispatched to investigate the case. First, announcements were made, and her photo was shared on social media to help locate her.
Upon examining the CCTV cameras installed in the village, it became clear that the girl had not left the village. Subsequently, the police launched a search operation and began checking houses. Gurpreet, the accused, pretended to help the police in their search for the girl by assisting in checking the houses. However, when the police entered Gurpreet's house around 7 pm, they found a blood-stained hammer inside. Following this discovery, the accused was arrested.
- With inputs from our correspondent
