Lucknow: Mohd Asif Khan, who was found guilty of raping and killing his five-year-old niece eight years ago, has been sentenced to death by Special Judge Arvind Mishra of the POCSO court.

The judge, while announcing the verdict, stated that the guilty should be hanged till death.

The court, on the other hand, forwarded the case to the High Court for confirmation of the death penalty, which is a legal prerequisite before the sentence is carried out. Drugs worth Rs 130 crores are seized by Assam police, and two people are arrested.

The judge stated in his 83-page decision that due to the way in which the crime was perpetrated, this case was among the rarest of the rare.

The prosecution succeeded in proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt based on circumstantial evidence.

The crime was reported to Hasanganj police on April 4, 2014, by the victim girl’s maternal grandfather.

The girl was said to be missing in the FIR, and this information was conveyed to the police on the 100 number.

The court determined that the girl was last seen having ice cream with the accused Khan, based on witness testimony.

On the night of the occurrence, the accused appeared in front of the family with the girl’s body in his hands.

Her hands were tied and the nerves in both hands were severed at the time. During the investigation, the accused confessed his crime to the police.

Later, a blood-stained knife and slippers were recovered.