Bhubaneswar, April 10 – In a significant development, a court in the Angul district of Odisha has sentenced a 40-year-old man to death for the brutal murder of a 4-year-old girl, following an incident of sexual assault near the Nisha Industrial Police Station in the district in 2025.
The convict, Babula Jena (40), is a resident of Dehury Sahi, Jereng village, under the Jarpada police limits of the Angul district.
The Special POCSO Court found the accused guilty of offences under sections 137(2), 103(1), 65(2), and 238(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 6 of the POCSO Act.
“On March 13, 2025, the minor victim went missing while playing in front of her house. Despite extensive searches by family and neighbors, she could not be located. Her father later filed a missing person report at the Industrial Police Station on March 14, 2025. Tragically, the child's body was recovered on March 15, 2025, under a Mahua tree near her residence,” the Angul Police informed in a press note on Friday.
Following the recovery, the minor girl's body was sent to the hospital for a post-mortem. The post-mortem examination confirmed death due to neck compression, with findings consistent with forcible sexual assault.
Locals suspect the involvement of Babula, a mason, in the heinous crime, as he was present when the victim was playing outside and later went missing around the same time as the girl.
The accused, Babula Jena, was identified and arrested on March 17, 2025, just four days after the incident. He was then presented before the court on March 18, 2025. During the investigation, the police found that the convict, after kidnapping the minor, took her to his residence, where he brutally raped her. Babula later strangled the minor victim to death and disposed of her body near the village.
After examining the evidence, including witness statements as well as medical and scientific reports, the court found the accused guilty of the offence and pronounced the judgment on Friday.
The court has also directed the Angul District Legal Services Authority to take necessary steps to provide Rs 10 lakh compensation to the victim's parents. During the hearing, Dillip Kumar Das appeared on behalf of the prosecution as the Special Public Prosecutor.