Man, father convicted in minor’s rape, murder case

A Delhi court has convicted a man for the rape and murder of a minor girl aside from punishing his father who aided him in the child’s killing in the national capital.

The girl was reported missing on February 9, 2019, and her mortal remains, with her limbs tied, were discovered two days later in a park.

Additional sessions judge Babita Puniya was hearing the case against 27-year-old Rajender and his 57-year-old father Ram Saran. In a 168-page conviction order on February 24, the court said the circumstances and the evidence of the prosecution formed a “complete chain” leading to an “inevitable conclusion” that Rajender, and no one else, kidnapped the girl to “fulfil his lust” and sexually assaulted her.

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The court said the case was proved “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the man and his father were responsible for the “brutal murder.”

While Rajender was convicted on chrages of rape, murder and kidnapping aside from aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the POCSO Act, Sharan was held guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of IPC.

The medical opinion indicated death due to “vaginal injury” owing to the assault aside from the injury to the head with a blunt object.

The court said the motive assumed greater importance in cases of circumstantial evidence.

“The postmortem report established that the motive behind the initial crime, i.e., kidnapping was lust and the further motive behind murdering her and then secretly dumping her body in the park was to save themselves from legal punishment,” it said.

The circumstantial evidence, the order said, was consistent with the only conclusion that accused persons committed the “gruesome murder”.

“The prosecution, through circumstantial evidence supported by medical and forensic evidence, has succeeded in establishing that she (the victim) was last seen alive with accused Rajender while entering his house and that his DNA profile matched with the DNA profile generated from the vaginal and anal swab of the deceased and that of her clothes,” the court said.

Underscoring a “strong indication”, the order noted the duo carried the body of the victim in a suitcase on a scooter and then dumped it inside a DDA park.

Rajender’s argument that he was framed by the police planted as “his sperm was taken during a medical examination” was binned by the court.

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The order instead held that his DNA profile matched with the sample collected from the victim’s clothing and body.

According to the prosecution, represented by special prosecutor Sharawan Kumar Bishnoi, Rajender lured the child by offering chips and assaulted her at his home.