A local court has sentenced an accused to death for killing an infant in broad daylight in Sikhohabad in 2026.
On Friday, the court of District Judge Dr Babbu Sarang sentenced Viraj alias Jitendra Pathak, a resident of Shekhupur, Civil Lines, Badaun, to death for brutally murdering one-and-a-half-year-old Aarav by throwing him onto the road eight times in broad daylight on May 30 in Yadav Colony, Shikohabad, Firozabad.
Viraj was convicted on Thursday, and the quantum of punishment was announced on Friday. The trial was completed in a record 40 days.
Viraj alias Jitendra Pathak, who was in police custody, was brought to court from jail. In the presence of the prosecution and the defence, the court convicted the accused of murdering the child.
The court stated, “The evidence presented by the prosecution is complete. The incident is extremely heinous.” After Viraj’s sentence was announced, the police took him back to jail.
According to the incident on the afternoon of May 30, 2026, in Yadav Colony, Shikohabad, Viraj alias Jitendra Pathak brutally killed one-and-a-half-year-old Aarav by throwing him onto the road eight times after his insistence on marrying the child’s mother, Rati Devi, was rejected.
The entire incident was captured on CCTV. Police arrested the accused late that night after a shootout. He had been shot in both legs.
Rati Devi, originally from Araon, was married to Sumit Kumar, a resident of Badaun, in February 2024. Due to differences with her husband, she had been living at her parents’ home for five months. Taking advantage of this, Sumit’s cousin, Viraj alias Jitendra Pathak, a resident of Shekhupur, Badaun, began luring Rati into believing he would help her. He then proposed marriage to her, but Rati rejected the proposal.
On May 30, Rati came to Shikohabad with her mother, Pinky Devi, to seek legal advice. The accused, Viraj, also arrived. He took the innocent child, Aarav, outside on the pretext of buying him candy. On a deserted road 50 metres from their home, he slammed the child onto the road eight times in 27 seconds. After the child’s death, he dumped the body at the doorstep and fled.