A special POCSO court in Jalpaiguri delivered a historic ruling on Thursday, sentencing three men—Rahaman Ali, Jamirul, and Tamirul—to death by hanging for the horrific rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl in 2020.

The chilling crime, which shook the Rajgunj police station area, involved the abduction of the class 10 madrasa student on August 10, 2020. The trio allegedly took her to multiple locations, including local hotels, where they repeatedly assaulted her before strangulating her near the Charai river. To cover their tracks, they dumped her body in an under-construction septic tank, where it was later found partially decomposed after her family reported her missing.

Judge Rintu Sur, after examining 27 witnesses, declared the crime “rarest of the rare” on Wednesday, paving the way for Thursday’s landmark death penalty verdict. The convicts, aged 30-35 and from nearby villages, confessed to the kidnapping and assault, police revealed.

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“This unprecedented verdict marks a significant moment in Jalpaiguri’s judicial history,” said government pleader Debashish Dutta, highlighting the gravity of the ruling.

The community remains in shock as the court’s decision sends a stern message against such heinous acts, with justice served for the young victim and her grieving family.

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