A court in Bilasipara, Assam, has sentenced Utpal Roy to death after convicting him in the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Chapar in 2023.
The judgment was delivered by the Additional District and Sessions Court in Bilasipara, nearly three years after the tragic incident at Krishnakali Tea Estate in Chapar.
According to the prosecution, the child went missing from her home in September 2023, prompting a police search operation. After three days, her body was recovered from the tea estate with the assistance of a sniffer dog. The recovery was conducted in the presence of a magistrate and a forensic team.
Investigators alleged that Roy lured the child into the tea garden, where he sexually assaulted her. He was later accused of murdering the girl to conceal the crime and abandoning her body inside the tea estate.
Based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s family, Chapar Police registered Case No. 179/23 and launched an investigation. The case was filed under Sections 363(A), 376, 302, and 201 of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
After examining the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, the court found Roy guilty and imposed the death penalty under the provisions of the POCSO Act.
Government advocate Tapan Bhatt represented the prosecution. The investigation was initially led by police officer Arpana Talukdar, later taken over by Ranjit Kakati. The chargesheet was subsequently filed by Deepjyoti Ingti.
The verdict brings closure to a case that shocked the region and drew widespread attention following the brutal rape and murder of the minor.
