Death penalty for man for 6-year-old girl's rape, murder!

• The 35-year-old man had raped and killed the girl on April 21 last year and kept her body hidden in his house.

A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to death by a city court for the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl here last year.54th City Civil and Sessions Judge M Lathakumrai held Anil Balagar guilty of rape and murder and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and death respectively for the crimes.

In her order yesterday, the judge also directed the Karnataka government to pay Rs 2 lakh to the victim's parents.

According to the prosecution, Balagar had raped and killed the girl on April 21 last year and kept her body hidden in his house.

The girl was reported missing since April 20 and on the basis of a complaint from her grandfather, the local police had registered a case.

The girl had come to her grandfather's house. Balagar, a neighbour of the victim's grandfather, lured the girl and took her to his house, where he raped and killed her, the prosecution had said.

A few days after the girl went missing, a foul smell had started emanating from Balagar' locked house. The neighbours had broken open the door and found the highly decomposed body of the girl under a cot, the police said.

A case was registered under the POCSO Act and Anil was arrested, they added.