Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh), Nov 7 (IANS): Seven months after a 12-year-old girl was raped and murdered, a district court in Bahraich has awarded death penalty to accused Phulchand Kanaujia, 20.

Additional Sessions Judge (POCSO) Nitin Pandey sentenced Phulchand to death by hanging and imposed a fine of Rs 40,000. The court also announced 20 years' imprisonment to Roshan Lal, a co-accused in the case.

The state government has also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for the Bahraich police for investigation.

Superintendent of Police Sujata Singh said that the body of a 12-year-old girl was found near a pond in the Raja Rehua village under Bondi police station area on April 10.

"We immediately formed teams and, based on informers and surveillance, Phulchand and his aide Roshan Lal were arrested. In the meanwhile, the forensic team was called and it was ensured that all vital evidence was preserved and then within a set time frame the results were confirmed by the lab."

The autopsy and the forensic investigation confirmed that she was raped before being killed.

A charge sheet under the charges of kidnapping, rape, murder and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 was filed in the court against Phulchand and Roshan Lal.

The trial began in June and soon the sentence was announced in the case.