LUCKNOW: After 20 months of trial in an incident of rape and murder, a man, accused of committing the crime with his 8-year-old cousin, was given death sentence by a POCSO (Prevention of Children from Sexual Offence Act) court in Firozabad district on Tuesday.

The case had come into light in 2019 in Chandpur village under Sirsaganj police station area of Firozabad where a minor, 8, went missing while attending an event in her neighbourhood on March 17, 2019.

When the girl did not return home till late in the night, the parents started searching for her. They were allegedly informed by some neighbours that the girl was last seen with one Shiv Shankar alias Bantu at around 10 pm. The next morning the girl’s body was spotted in a wheat field with marks of strangulation.

In the meantime, Bantu and his father had fled the village. On the basis of a complaint filed by the parents of the minor, an FIR was registered against Bantu under IPC sections pertaining to rape and murder and also under the clauses of POCSO Act. As per the sources, the man had lured the minor with Rs 10 and had waylaid her to a secluded place to rape her. He later killed her to remove the evidence.

However, Bantu was nabbed after a search of four days by the police and was sent to jail. The police submitted the chargesheet in the case in May 2019.

While delivering the order, special judge Mridul Dubey of POCSO court termed the case as heinous. However, the accused has the option of approaching higher courts. As there is no hanging provision available in Firozabad jail, the order could be served at Meerut jail which has the provision for gallows.