Aluva Child Rape Case: Accused Ashfaq Alam Sentenced to Death

The Ernakulam POCSO court sentenced Ashfaq Alam (28), the lone accused in the abduction, rape and murder of a five-year-old girl from Bihar in Kerala's Aluva in July, to death and five life terms. Judge K Soman, who presided over the trial, pronounced the sentence on the 110th day of completing the trial, which was also Children's Day.

The trial case had begun on October 4 and Alam was earlier found guilty on 16 charges. The court observed that the accused deserved no leniency and demanded capital punishment, citing that the case was the rarest of rare occurrences.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the ruling comes as a stern message on Children's Day against those who commit violence against children. He emphasised that the child had fallen victim to an extremely heinous crime and commended the efficiency of the criminal justice system in apprehending the culprit and ensuring maximum punishment.

Kerala Aluva Murder Case: Things To Know

Kerala mourned the tragic demise of a five-year-old girl who was killed by her neighbour on July 28. The funeral was held at the public cemetery of Keezhmad Gramme Panchayat and the little girl’s mortal remains were kept for the public to pay homage to at Thaikkattukara School, where she was studying in class one.

The school was filled with grieving students, teachers, and natives. Many mothers couldn’t contain their grief and shed tears over the devastating loss. The brutal killing of the little girl sparked massive outrage among all those present and reflected society’s anguish.

The incident unfolded when a five-year-old girl from Bihar was kidnapped from her apartment in Choornikkara panchayat on Friday afternoon. The police took Ashfaq Alam into custody the same night. However, despite the police’s efforts, they could not locate the girl.

The accused’s initial statement was incoherent as he was in an inebriated state. He claimed to have handed over the girl, which led to probing into his friend as well. Further investigations revealed the statement to be false. Later, the accused himself confessed to the crime. 

The girl’s body was found near the Aluva market on Saturday morning. The postmortem report revealed that the girl was sexually assaulted before being strangulated to death. The report also pointed out multiple injuries to the child’s body and private parts. She also suffered a head injury, which was likely caused by a stone. Allegedly, her own clothes were used to strangulate her.

The police examined more than 50 CCTV clips to investigate the case. One of the CCTV cameras captured the accused crossing the railway gate with the girl. He was also spotted proceeding towards the national highway and boarding a bus to Thrissur around 3 pm, which helped the police track down the accused.

The accused, Ashfaq Alam, was charged with murder and sexual assault, and sections under the POCSO Act were produced in court on Sunday. The police concluded that the accused committed the crime without any accomplices.

The accused has been remanded for 14 days and was transferred to the Aluva sub-jail. The prosecution has requested seven days of custody for the accused, and the court will review the custody application on Monday.

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