A 19-year-old has been sentenced to death for raping a 7-month-old baby by a court in Alwar in the first conviction in Rajasthan under the amended Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

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As justice was served within merely 73 days, the state police is optimistic that the judgement will act as a deterrent. "All the concerned officers from police, forensic, medical and other departments carried out their duties effectively and helped in presenting strong evidence in support of the charges," said Hemant Priyadarshy, IGP (Jaipur).

The incident was reported at Lakshmangarh police station, Alwar on May 9. The baby's father reported that his daughter had been kidnapped while she was sleeping under the watch of a visually-challenged relative. The bleeding child was later found in a field nearby.

Pintu, a neighbour, was suspected of the crime. A case was subsequently registered under IPC sections 363, 366A, 376 and the POCSO act. The police filed charge sheet in just 27 days. The verdict is being hailed by social activists.

The child was hospitalised for 20 days and is expected to take more time to recover from the physical trauma.