SRINAGAR: In the shocking case of kidnapping, raping and murder of a minor girl in Ikhrajpora, the court has convicted Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh and the quantum of punishment is to be awarded on March 14.
“It is established that the accused at the time of occurrence was major, a grown-up aged more than 20 years. He has committed the heinous and barbarous crime of rape and murder of a girl aged about 7 to 10 years who was not so much healthy,” the Second Additional Judge Srinagar, Renu Gupta observed in her 100-page verdict. “She was kidnapped in a planned manner by the accused who was her distant relative and were residing in the same house by offering her toffees some of which were found lying at the place of occurrence because she was innocent and could not understand the design of the accused. She became a helpless victim of a diabolic person whom the child could trust to be her own family member. The medical evidence shows the cruel manner of causing injuries on the body of the child at the time of committing rape which was followed by murder in a brutal manner by crush injury to her head causing multiple fractures to skull bones by striking the bricks on her head and also tried to burn her body.”
The shocking case was reported on August 23, 2007, when the father of the Ikhrajpora girl reported to police that his daughter is missing. Her body was recovered a day later from a deserted migrant house in the same locality.
As the police started investigations, they got enough evidence to hold Zahoor responsible for the crime. He was formally arrested on August 30, 2007. Forensic examination has established that the hair recovered from the deceased minor’s trousers matched with those of the accused, who, however pleaded not guilty. Since there was no direct evidence, the case is entirely based on the circumstantial evidence including forensic evidences.
The court observed that it is of the considered opinion that “prosecution has fully established the accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt on the basis of clear and
cogent evidence” and has “fully succeeded” in establishing “each instance of incriminating circumstance, by way of reliable and clinching evidence and the circumstances which stand proved during the trial of this court”.
The witness have told the court that the accused was a drunkard and a drug addict. He was putting with his victim’s family – he was their distant cousin – and victim’s elder sister was very uncomfortable over his presence in her family.
The court proceedings began in October 2007, when the case was first presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Srinagar, who committed the case to the Principal Sessions Judge’s Court. The Principal Sessions Judge transferred the challan to the Third Additional Sessions Judge, who later transferred it to the court that is scheduled to announce punishment n March 14.
