Patna, June 8: Forensic evidence helped nail a man accused of raping a six-year-old a little over three months since committing the crime. The culprit has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

A Samastipur court headed by additional district and sessions judge Panchanan Sharma yesterday awarded life sentence to Parvez Ansari, the accused. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict. In case of failure to deposit the fine, he would have to serve an additional five years in prison.

Ansari, a resident of Tedhi Bazar area under the jurisdiction of Mohiuddin Nagar police station in Samastipur district, was charged with raping a minor on the banks of the Sursar on March 3. A case was lodged the same day at the Mohiuddin Nagar police station based on the statement of the victim’s father and the accused was arrested.

While Ansari was forwarded to Samastipur divisional jail, the girl was examined under the supervision of a four-member medical board. The undergarments of both the accused and the victim were separately sent to the state forensic science laboratory in Patna.

Medical tests at the hospital confirmed rape. But the investigating officer relied on the forensic test report to file the chargesheet. The report said the semen found on the victim’s undergarments matched that of the accused.

Bloodstains collected from the victim’s undergarments were also matched with blood sample of the accused.

The scientific evidence helped the police conclude that Ansari was the offender.

He was chargesheeted on March 5 under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3(i)(xii) of Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act. The court took cognisance of the case on March 8.

Director-general of police (DGP) Abhayanand today said: “Scientific investigation led to the conviction of the accused in just about three months of the crime. The case was lodged on March 3. Sub-inspector of police Laldeshwar Prasad was assigned the task to probe the case. The trial was conducted on a priority basis.”

He added that yesterday’s conviction was the sixth instance in the past six months in which a rape accused has been prosecuted on the basis of scientific evidence. “Since rape is a serious offence and it has its adverse impact on society, the police have decided to conduct speedy trial of the accused,” he said.

Of the earlier convictions, one Ajay Kumar was convicted in May for attempt to rape, within 30 days of the incident in Madhepura. Ajay, failing to rape a woman, had killed her one-year-old girl in an area under the jurisdiction of Singheshwar Sthan police station of Madhepura district. The DGP said the rape convictions were handed out in Madhepura, Katihar, Saharsa and Sitamarhi districts.