Man convicted of raping minor sentenced to 20 years in jail under POCSO Act in 2022

A man in Assam’s Dhubri district has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by a POCSO court in connection with the kidnapping and rape of a five-year-old girl from his neighborhood in 2022, officials confirmed.

According to police records, the accused was promptly arrested based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s family following the incident. Charges were filed against him under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 376-AB of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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During the court proceedings, Special Public Prosecutor Rituparna Guha informed that the rape survivor’s mother had filed a First Information Report (FIR) at Fakirganj Police Station on February 17, 2022. The FIR detailed how the accused allegedly lured the minor girl with chocolate, abducted her, and then raped her in an abandoned area. The family members stated that locals found her in a half-naked state while the accused fled the scene.

Despite the accused’s application for bail following his arrest in 2022, the court rejected it.

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Advocate Rituparna Guha reported that Additional Sessions Special Judge Mamta Bhadani convicted the accused under the POCSO Act and Section 376-AB of the IPC. In addition to the 20-year imprisonment, he has been fined Rs. 5000, and failure to pay the fine will result in another six months added to his sentence, Guha added.