Mumbai: Women's court convicts man of rape, murder of 8-year-old in Kurla

The special women's court in Mumbai on Saturday convicted a man of raping and murdering a minor girl in Nehru Nagar area in suburban Kurla five years ago.

"The court has convicted Javed Sheikh of kidnapping, rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in June 2010," said Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat. Gharat has sought the capital punishment for the accused.

"The court has adjourned the case till Tuesday when it will hear the arguments on quantum of sentence," he added.

Sheikh, an employee of a local cable operator, was arrested on July 1, 2010. Several cases of rape and murder of minor girls had been reported in the area during that period.

The prosecution examined 26 witnesses while the defence examined four witnesses. The girl's body was found inside an unoccupied shanty at Nehru Nagar's Vatsalatai Nagar slum on June 19, 2010, after the neighbours complained of foul smell. The girl had gone missing on June 5.

The medical report confirmed rape.

The police, in August 2010, filed a 325-page charge sheet against Sheikh, consisting of statements of 45 witnesses, medical reports, forensic reports, DNA test report, etc.