Chandigarh, June 3 -- Around 16 months after the horrific rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl shocked the city, a special POCSO court has convicted an Uttar Pradesh native, a painter by profession, for the gruesome crime.

The court of additional sessions judge Yashika convicted 40-year-old Hira Lal, currently a resident of Hallomajra, under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Tuesday. Court sources said the prosecution will plead for a stringent punishment for the accused.

The child's body, with the throat slit and multiple stab wounds, was discovered near a dumping site in Ram Darbar on January 22, 2024, three days after she went missing o...