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According to a government attorney, a special Surat court sentenced a 23-year-old man to death on Wednesday for the rape and murder of a 20-month-old girl in February of this year.
Judge Shankuntala Solanki of the extra sessions found Ismail alias Ismail Yusuf Hajat guilty of the offense on Monday.
Ismail was sentenced today by Additional Sessions Judge Shankuntala Solanki for the kidnapping, raping, and killing of a 20-month-old infant. In accordance with sections 302 (murder) and 376AB (rape of a girl younger than 12 years old) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (Pocso) Act, the court has sentenced Ismail to death by hanging, according to district government attorney Nayan Sukhadwala.
According to Sukhadwala, the judge also imposed a $1,000 fine and a life term on Ismail for kidnapping a victim with the intent to rape or kill her under sections 364 and 366 of the IPC, respectively.
The defendant was sentenced to compensate the victim's family 10 lakh after the court took into consideration the victim's family's financial situation. "The girl's body showed serious wounds.... Her abdomen was covered in bite marks, Sukhdawala continued.
Ismail, who knew the girl's father, allegedly brought the child with him on February 27 under the pretense of purchasing her snacks.
Ismail's absence caused the girl's relatives to become concerned, so they started hunting for her and called the police. Ismail was absent when the girl's lifeless body was discovered in Kapletha village, close to a lake, behind an abandoned structure.
He was apprehended by police on February 28 for her rape and murder after they tracked him to a village close to Surat.
