The special POCSO court in Vapi city of Gujarat found 42-year-old Razak Khan guilty and awarded death sentence in the case of kidnapping, sexual exploitation and murder of a minor girl. Heard. On Thursday (December 4), the POCSO court of Justice HN Vakil pronounced this sentence. The court also directed that a compensation of Rs 17 lakh be paid to the victim’s family. Police have identified the culprit as Razak Khan Subhan Khan and he is currently lodged in Surat Central Jail.
Actually the incident took place on 23 October 2023, when the girl went home to meet her grandfather at around 11:15 in the morning. emerged from Was. When she did not return for several hours, her mother went to the grandfather’s workplace, where she learned that the child had left home more than an hour earlier. Concerned family and neighbors started searching for her, but the girl was not found. Later, her mother lodged a complaint of kidnapping at the local police station.
Soon after, the Valsad district police formed several teams. More than 250 residents of the area joined the search operation that lasted late into the night. Later, the girl’s body was found hidden in bushes near a pond. He was identified by his mother and grandfather. On the basis of medical examination, the police registered a case of kidnapping, rape and murder under stringent sections of IPC and POCSO.
•Two years ago a tragic incident took place in a small village of Valsad.
• Razak Suban Khan, who committed a heinous crime with a six and a half year old innocent girl, has been sentenced to death by the Honorable Court today.
•This is a very poor family, they used to earn their living by working as labourers.
•Immediately after the incident… pic.twitter.com/V7ibEr4tYw— Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) December 4, 2025
Police scanned CCTV footage of nearby areas and saw a man walking with the victim. After a two-day search, the accused Razak Khan was arrested on 26 October 2023. He was sent to nine days’ police custody for questioning and medical examination. The DNA samples of both the accused and the victim were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Surat.
All necessary procedures were followed, evidence was collected, and soon the chargesheet was submitted in the special POCSO court. Later, Sukhadwala was appointed special government prosecutor to handle the trial proceedings on behalf of the prosecution.
Surat District Government Prosecutor Nayan Sukhdawala, acting as the prosecution, said that the evidence against the accused is very strong. He told that bite marks were clearly visible on the girl’s body and the accused had strangled her with the clothes she was wearing. He further said that CCTV footage played an important role in confirming the incident. The footage shows that after committing the crime, the accused went to a nearby tea shop to have tea and cigarettes. Sukhdawala also told that the accused is a father of three children and his youngest daughter is of the same age as the victim.
The court also said that the accused had been trying to seduce the victim by luring her with biscuits and chocolates for about six days before the crime. Medical evidence, witness statements and other circumstantial evidence helped strengthen the prosecution’s case. This FIR was registered in 2023 at Dungara Police Station in Valsad district of Gujarat.
Charges were filed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including section 363 (kidnapping), section 302 (murder), section 376AB (rape of a minor below 12 years of age) and section 377. Additionally, sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012 were also added for aggravated sexual assault on children.
Officials said this is the second time that the same POCSO court has awarded death penalty in a case of rape and murder of a minor girl. Have heard. Earlier in 2023, a case of rape and murder of another minor girl had come to light.
According to media reports, defense lawyer HD Modi described the sentence as “very harsh” and said the court did not consider some of the key points raised by the defence. Defense lawyer Modi said the convict will challenge the death sentence in the Gujarat High Court after getting a copy of the full verdict.
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