Mumbai: Transgender Individual Receives Death Sentence for Rape and Murder of Three-Month-Old
Mumbai, 28th February 2024: A special court handed down a death sentence on Tuesday to a transgender individual convicted of the rape and murder of a three-month-old girl in 2021. The family of the victim had expressed their inability to provide money and gifts for blessing the newborn child. The 24-year-old perpetrator was found guilty of rape, murder, kidnapping, and destruction of evidence under the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The court, citing circumstantial evidence and testimonies from family and neighbours, described the crime as pre-planned, sending shockwaves through the community, especially in a financially challenged area. Although a co-accused faced similar charges, they were acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
The court’s judgment highlighted the absence of eyewitnesses to the kidnapping but relied on circumstantial evidence, including accounts of the family and neighbours who claimed to have seen the accused carrying a “bundle” around 2 am on the day of the incident.
The accused had visited the victim’s home on the pretext of seeking gifts for the newborn but resorted to threats when the family couldn’t comply due to financial constraints. The judge noted that the motive behind the crime was to instil fear in the community and gain notoriety, emphasizing the extreme brutality of the act.
According to the prosecution, the infant went missing during the night, and the family reported the incident to the police the next day, identifying the accused. Subsequent police investigations led to the discovery of the infant’s body in a marshy area, with medical evidence indicating rape and drowning.
The court, deeming the case as “rarest of rare,” rejected any grounds for leniency, highlighting the absence of provocation or enmity between the accused and the victim’s family. The death penalty was justified for the gruesome murder of an innocent three-month-old.
