Police officers among 6 found guilty of shocking rape and murder of 8yo girl in India

Six men in India, including police officers and a government official, have been found guilty of the gang rape and the bludgeoning to death of an eight-year-old girl in an explosive case that sparked outrage across the country.

The nomadic girl was kidnapped, sedated and then gang raped multiple times in the Kashua district of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir in January 2018, the Times of India reports. Her body was found a week after she went missing. News of the case sparked outrage in India and internationally, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calling on authorities to bring the perpetrators of the “horrific” crime to justice.

Six of the seven accused were convicted by a special court in Pathankot on Monday.

Government worker and village head Sanji Ram, who is believed to have masterminded the crime, his juvenile nephew and two special police officers were found guilty of murder and gang rape, while a police constable and an inspector were found guilty of destroying evidence after taking money from Ram.

The trial began in April 2018 in Kathua, but the Supreme Court ordered the case be moved to Pathankot in Punjab as the victim’s father said his family was being threatened. The year-long trial was held in camera and involved the questioning of 100 witnesses.  

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