A special court in Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal on Sunday sentenced a 42-year-old man to death for raping and killing his six-year-old daughter, PTI reported. According to the prosecution, he suspected that the girl was not his biological child and murdered her on March 15, 2017.

The autopsy report confirmed rape, “unnatural sex”, and strangulation, said an unidentified prosecution official. The victim’s DNA report matched with the accused following which he was arrested. “Though main witnesses turned hostile, scientific evidence of post-mortem and DNA had helped us in proving our case,” said Director General (Prosecution) Rajendra Kumar.

With this, 21 people in Madhya Pradesh – the highest in the country – have been sentenced to death this year for the rape and murder of minors, Kumar said. This is also a record for the state’s prosecution department, he added.