BHUBANESWAR: A court in Odisha’s Bargarh sentenced a 21-year-old man to death Tuesday for raping and killing a minor girl in Nov 2024, reports Sandip Mishra. The convict, Prashanta Bag, lured the girl to a secluded place on pretext of taking her fishing. Later, the victim’s naked body with severe head injuries was found in a nearby jungle, police said. The girl’s grandfather registered a complaint with police on the same day. “The brutality of the crime warranted the highest punishment,” additional district and sessions judge Kiran Kumar Pradhan wrote in the judgment. The trial concluded in less than a year with the court examining 37 witnesses. Bargarh SP Prahlad Sahai Meena said, “We ensured a swift probe and filed the chargesheet within 20 days.”The court in Bargarh also ordered a compensation of Rs 15 lakh for the bereaved family.