Jaipur, Oct 1 (IANS): A court in Rajasthan Tuesday sentenced to a man to death after convicting him of raping and murdering an 8-year-old mentally-challenged girl, a lawyer said.

The court of District and Sessions Judge Chandra Shekhar in Rajsamand, some 350 km from Jaipur, handed out the capital punishment to 25-year-old Manoj Singh, public prosecutor Pradeep Kumar told IANS.

"The incident occurred on Jan 17 this year. Manoj stayed in a rented accommodation near the girl's house in Kankroli town near Rajsamand. The girl's father is a vegetable vendor and he used to buy vegetables from him," said the lawyer.

The lawyer added that Manoj abducted the girl while she was plying the vegetable cart of her father.

"He took her to an isolated place and raped her. He then hit her head on a stone repeatedly, killing her. Manoj then escaped from the spot, but however, he was arrested the same day," said the lawyer.

Police filed the charge sheet in the case in February.

"Judge Chandra Shekhar convicted him today (Tuesday) and handed out capital punishment," said the lawyer.