PATNA, Sept. 24 -- A Muzaffarpur court on Tuesday sentenced a fish vendor, Rohit Kumar Sahni (28), to rigorous life imprisonment till death for the brutal rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl. The court also imposed a fine of Rs.1 lakh on the convict, pointing out that failure to pay would attract additional imprisonment of one year. "The verdict follows the examination of 15 witnesses and a detailed analysis of all thirty-five evidence presented, ultimately leading to a conviction for rape and murder under the new BNS and POCSO laws. Sahni will serve a life term and must pay the fine or face additional imprisonment," said Special Public Prosecutor Rajiv Ranjan Raju. The court's verdict was based on the amount of evidence, including eyewitness accounts, forensic analysis, and electronic records. The conviction was delivered under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Sections 103(1) and 65(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The case dates back to May 26, when the victim, a class V student of a government school, had stepped out for her relative's house but failed to return late in the evening. She was found late at night by a villager, lying unconscious and almost naked in a field near Brick Kiln just 800 metres from her relative's home. Her face was swollen and she bore signs of brutal assault, including bite marks on her hands. Police said that the victim received multiple stab injury marks on her neck, chest, stomach and thigh. CCTV footage and technical surveillance helped identify Rohit Sahni, a resident of the Harpur Balra village falling under Maniyari police station. On June 1, the victim died at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) after being kept in an ambulance for more than four hours in a critical condition without admission. DNA analysis later confirmed a match between the accused's profile and material recovered at the crime scene, as well as a swab from the victim. Muzaffarpur SSP Sushil Kumar told HT that police arrested Sahni within 12 hours of the crime. After committing the heinous act, he allegedly tried to murder her by slitting her throat....