Punjab: Goraya man sentenced to death for rape and murder

Punjab: Gurpreet aka Gopi, a 31-year-old man from Goraya, has been sentenced to death four years after he committed the crime of raping and killing a 12-year-old girl. The verdict was pronounced by Additional Sessions Judge Archana Kamboj at a fast-track court in Jalandhar. In February 2021, the young victim went missing from outside her house in Goraya and her body was later found in the house of Gurpreet, a neighbour of the victim’s family. Police investigation revealed that the minor was abducted, raped multiple times and had suffered fatal injuries on her head. The accused attempted to dispose of the body, but the body was recovered during a search by the family and villagers. Gurpreet was arrested and charged under various sections of the IPC, including murder, kidnapping, rape and destruction of evidence, as well as the POCSO Act for aggravated sexual assault.