Bhopal, Aug 20: In the 11th death penalty awarded by courts in Madhya Pradesh to rape convicts this year, a man in Sagar district has been sentenced to face the gallows for murdering and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old minor.

The convict, 22-year-old Rabbu alias Sarvesh Sen (22), had committed the heinous crime in last year. The victim was raped by him at Deval village on December 7, 2017. Following the sexual assault, he poured kerosene and set her ablaze.

The victim could not be saved despite seven days of treatment. The incident sparked unrest in the region, with the police acting on war-footing to nab the accused and get him prosecuted.

The credit for the timely conviction goes to Bhangarh police station in-charge sub-inspector Ravi Bhushan Pathak, who completed the investigation within 21 days and filed the chargesheet on December 28, 2017, said director public prosecution Rajendra Kumar.

The sessions court bench which pronounced the verdict was headed by additional session judge Alok Mishra. The court found him guilty of all charges levelled by the police.

The prosecution had charged him under the IPC sections related to rape, murder, house trespass, assault and destroying evidence. along with the relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2018 10:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).