Angul: A special POCSO court in Odisha's Angul district has sentenced a 40-year-old man to death for raping and murdering a four-year-old girl.

According to case details, the minor girl had gone missing on March 14, 2025, from the Nisha Industrial Area. Her family had lodged a police complaint soon after her disappearance.

The child’s body was recovered the next day near a tree close to her house. The post-mortem report confirmed that she had been raped and later strangled to death.

Police arrested the accused, identified as Babula Jena of Jereng village under Jarapada police limits, on March 17 following an investigation.

During the trial, the court examined DNA reports, forensic findings and witness testimonies. Based on the evidence presented, the POCSO court pronounced the death sentence.