Man gets life in prison for rape, murder of schoolgirl

Thane, February 9

A 24-year-old man was on Friday sentenced to life in prison for raping and killing a 12-year-old girl in Palghar district in 2014.

Additional Sessions Judge MP Divate held Rahul Gajanan Tumbada, a resident of Sharjamori village in Vasai, guilty of raping and killing the school girl under Sections 302 and 376 (2) of the Indian Penal Code.

The court imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Tumbada and directed that the case be referred to the District Legal Services Authority with recommendations to award adequate compensation to the parents of the victim.

Additional Public Prosecutor Ujjwala Moholkar told the court that on January 16, 2014, Tumbada offered the girl, who studied in a zilla parishad school, a ride home after school on his motorcycle.

He then took her to an isolated place, raped and strangled her to death, Moholkar told court.

The girl’s body was found in a field in Kaman village on January 18. Following a probe, Tumbada was arrested. — PTI