Witnesses travel 4,000km to help jail man for rape & murder of 5-year-old

HYDERABAD: A couple from Bihar’s Jamui district, key witnesses in the rape and murder trial of a five-year-old girl at Bhanoor, Sangareddy in October 2023, travelled nearly 4,000 km round trip to provide testimony in court. They were co-workers of the girl’s grandparents.
Two security guards, also crucial witnesses in the case, travelled from Nanded (Maharashtra), and Basavakalyan (Karnataka), to give their statements.Additionally, the tahsildar of Sikandar Mandal, Jamui district, who issued the girl’s caste certificate, was examined via video call.
Their testimonies, along with scientific and technical evidence, helped convict the accused, Gafafar Ali, who was sentenced to death on three counts and handed life imprisonment, all sentences to run concurrently.
The victim’s father had passed away due to health issues a few years ago, and her mother lived in Jamui with her younger daughter, while the girl was staying with her grandparents in Bhanoor.
Describing the case as a ‘rarest of rare’ instance, the Special Court for Pocso cases in Sangareddy remarked, “The accused, by his conduct, has betrayed the human relationship of trust and worthiness, and his presence in society is a menace.”
The witnesses returned home after completing their testimony, which was crucial to the case. Police had initially recorded their statements and ensured their testimonies were given before a magistrate.
“As they knew the child well and understood the gravity of the case, they undertook the arduous journey on the day of their court appearance to testify about the events surrounding the crime,” police officials said.
A team of police officers also travelled to Sikandar to collect the girl’s caste certificate, proving she belonged to an SC community. As the issuing authority could not appear in person, his testimony was recorded virtually.
The CCTV footage from the construction site proved the accused’s presence at the spot at the time of the crime. Forensic analysis found alcohol in the girl’s viscera samples and the accused’s body fluids on the girl’s clothes. The girl’s blood stains were also found on the accused’s clothes. All these evidences proved that the accused had killed the girl after raping her.
The court also observed: “She trusted him (accused) as a grandfather and went along with him without knowing about the gruesome consequences. The accused took the child as it was a relationship of ‘trust’, but he broke her trust in a very gruesome manner.”