A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to death by a fast-track special court in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district for raping and murdering his six-year-old niece.

Additional Sessions Judge Anish Dubey termed the case as one of the “rarest of rare” cases while convicting Somesh Yadav under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The crime took place in April 2025. After assaulting the child, Yadav allegedly poured toilet cleaner on her private parts in an attempt to remove evidence and blood stains. He later hid her body inside the trunk of a neighbour’s car to mislead the police.

The child had gone to her grandmother’s house in the Om Nagar Urla area to participate in the ‘kanya pujan’ ritual during Chaitra Navratri. When she did not return home by evening, her family began searching for her and later lodged a missing person report at Mohan Nagar Police Station.

Her body was subsequently found in the trunk of a nearby car. She had scratch marks on her face and blood on her lips.

Forensic and DNA examinations established that the child had been sexually assaulted by Yadav, who was her paternal uncle. The medical report stated that she suffered cardiac arrest due to severe physical pain and trauma during the assault.

The court relied on witness statements as well as forensic and scientific evidence to convict Yadav. It sentenced him to death by hanging, bringing the case to conclusion around 17 months after the crime.