Sexual Assault of 33 Male Children: UP Court Sentences Two Child Predators To Death

A Banda Court on February 20, 2026 sentenced two accused namely, Rambhawan and his wife Durgawati to Death for various offences under Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act including unnatural offences, aggravated penetrative sexual offences, using child for pornographic purposes, storage of pornographic material involving children, abetment and criminal conspiracy.

In 2020, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a case against accused Rambhawan and other unknown persons on allegations of sexual abuse of children; using children for pornographic purposes; and creation and dissemination of child sexual abuse material over the internet.

During the investigation, it surfaced that the accused persons had committed various nature of perversity including aggravated penetrative sexual assaults against 33 male children, some of them as young as three years of age.

The predators remained active in the general area of Banda and Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh between year 2010 to 2020. The accused Rambhawan was working as Junior Engineer in the Department of Irrigation. The accused used different tactics on children including access to online video-games and giving money/gifts to allure them.

Investigation also revealed that some of the victims had suffered injuries on their private parts during penetrative sexual assault. Some of them remained admitted in the hospital. Few of the victims developed Squint Eye. Victims are still suffering from psychological trauma caused by the predators.

After conclusion of the investigation, CBI filed chargesheet on February 10, 2021 against the accused Rambhawan and his wife Durgawati. Charges were framed on May 26, 2023.

While awarding the severest punishment, the Court found the criminal acts of accused as “rarest of rare” on the basis of unparalleled depravity and systemic nature of their crimes, which involved the orchestrated sexual exploitation and abuse of 33 minor children.

The sheer scale of this victimization across multiple districts, combined with the extreme moral turpitude of the convicts, marks this crime of an exceptional and heinous nature that it leaves no room for reformation, necessitating the ultimate judicial deterrent to meet the ends of justice.

Trial Court also ordered for award of compensation of Rs. 10 Lakh to each victim by the Uttar Pradesh Government. The Court further ordered to distribute the cash amount seized from the house of the accused persons among the victims in equal proportion.

CBI's investigation remained sensitive towards the minor victims while conducting their examinations and ensured their emotional well-being through counselling. During the investigation, seamless coordination was ensured with forensic experts, medical experts dealing with child sexual abuse cases and child protection authorities. Investigation also ensured handling and preservation of digital evidence.