Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh), Mar 28 (IANS): An Azamgarh court has awarded death sentence to a man for killing three members of a family, including a four-month-old child, after raping her mother in a village under the Mubarakpur police station of the district.

The incident took place 17 months ago and the two others killed were the child's 30-year-old mother and 35-year-old father.

Special POCSO Court Judge Ramendra Kumar sentenced the accused Naziruddin after convicting him of the three murders and one rape.

The judge ruled that the murders committed by him fell in 'the rarest of rare' category of crime.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 9 lakh on the accused, stipulating that Rs 1.5 lakh of the fine be given to the family of the rape victim.

The case was tried by a court set up under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences as the crime committed by the accused also involved the murder of a minor girl.

The Uttar Pradesh government has also announced a reward of Rs one lakh for the members of the police and prosecution team.