INDIA: YOUTH GETS DEATH FOR RAPE, MURDER OF MINOR GIRL

the Madurai District Court in India handed the death sentence to a 20 year old youth, charged with the rape and murder of a minor. Selvam, 20, of the Housing Board Colony in Mela Anuppanadi, was a jobless youth. On September 14, 2006, he approached Natarajan, a flower merchant, at Anuppanadi for a job saying that he was an orphan. On September 17, he kidnapped Natarajan's son Yoganathan, 9, sodomised him, killed the boy and threw the body in shrubs near a pond. On September 19, Selvam got a job with Manivasagam, a flower merchant of Jaihindapuram. On September 21, when Manivasagam was away, he forcibly entered the house and raped and murdered Nagashanthi, 9, by continuously banging her head against the wall. Later, he hid the body in a carton and fled the scene. Selvam surrendered to Perungudi Village Admistrative Officer (VAO) Rajendran. Judge E M K S Siddhartar held that under IPC section 450 (forcible trespass) Selvam should undergo 10 years jail term and pay Rs 1,000 fine; Sec 376 (rape) life sentence, Sec 377 (unnatural rape) ten years jail term and Rs 1,000 fine; Sec 302 (murder) hanging till death; Sec 201 (destroying proof) ten years jail term and Rs 1,000.