A Special Court here on Wednesday awarded the death sentence to all three accused in the rape and brutal murder of a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Kopardi village in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district in July 2016.
The convicts are: Jitendra alias Pappu Babulal Shinde, 26, Santosh Gorkha Bhawal, 30, and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume, 28 -- who have been sentenced to death under various charges including rape, conspiracy, murder and other crimes, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the media after the verdict.
Ahmednagar District and Sessions Judge Suvarna Keole, who had found the three guilty on November 18, pronounced the verdict under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act before a packed courtroom under tight security.
On July 13, 2016, the three men had brutally raped and murdered the girl in Kopardi village in Karjat taluka of Ahmednagar district.
--IANS
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