Hyderabad: Accused in the sensational rape-and-murder of a nine-month-old baby girl in Hanamkonda Kolepaka Praveen, 28, was sentenced to death by hanging by the Warangal Fast Track court on Thursday afternoon.
The death sentence was delivered by First Additional District Judge K Jaya Kumar. The case was solved by the Fast Track Court within 48 days after the heinous crime was committed on June 19. The parents of the slain infant burst into tears after hearing the judgment. Praveen had confessed to his crime and said he had committed the crime under the influence of alcohol and was said to be a habitual offender.
In the heinous incident, the accused took away the infant and killed her after sexually assaulting her. The bizarre incident took place in Tailors’ street in Hanamkonda of Warangal District on June 19. Victim Shritha was asleep on the terrace of the house along with her parents when Praveen of Madaram village under Parkal Mandal sneaked into the house, climbed the terrace and abducted the infant. However, the parents and other family members woke up, found the baby missing and chased the accused.
The parents said they saw the accused running with the baby in his hand and caught and thrashed him. In the scuffle, the accused attempted to flee. While the baby was rushed to a private hospital in Hanamkonda, the doctors declared her brought dead. The accused was handed over to the police, who took him into custody.
The trial in the case started on July 24 and ended on August 2. The Hanamkonda police took the case as prestigious and filed chargesheet in 20 days. The police produced 30 out of 51 witnesses to depose before the trial court. The judge held the accused guilty and sentenced him to death by hanging.
In a significant move, the Warangal District Bar Association had unanimously decided to boycott Praveen and condemned the ghastly deed of the pervert. The Bar Association convened a meeting on June 20 and requested all the advocates not to defend the accused in the court.
After the gory crime, protests erupted all over Hanamkonda with the public staging agitations on the roads demanding justice for the victim and capital punishment to the culprit. (NSS)
