telangana

Updated: Aug 08, 2019 19:38 IST

A fast-track court in Telangana’s Warangal district on Thursday sentenced a 28-year old youth to death for raping and murdering a nine-month-old baby in June this year.

Kolipaka Praveen of Hanamkonda town in Warangal urban district had confessed before district additional judge Jaya Kumar, stating that he had committed the crime in a drunken condition.

The fast track court completed the hearing of the case in just 48 days from the day of the incident. The judge examined 30 witnesses.

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The incident took place in the early hours of June 19 at Tailors’ Street in Hanamkonda. The girl was sleeping with her parents and grandparents on the terrace of their house when Praveen abducted her. He then took her to a secluded place, raped her and killed her.

The parents, who woke up after some time, raised an alarm after they noticed that the baby was missing. They, along with the neighbours, searched for her.

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One of their relatives saw Praveen running away from the scene of crime along with the baby. When people ran after him, he threw away the baby and tried to flee. But the locals caught him and thrashed him before handing him over to the police. The baby was rushed to hospital where she was declared dead.

Warangal police commissioner Dr V Ravinder said the speedy justice had brought a big relief to the investigating authorities. “The police took it as a challenge and filed a chargesheet within 21 days and urged the court to fast track the hearings,” he said.

The Warangal District Bar Association members decided against arguing for the accused. In fact, lawyers also participated in the protest rallies. The Bar Council members hailed the judgment.