Ghaziabad court sentences man to 20-year imprisonment for raping minor in 2018

Ghaziabad (UP), Dec 8 (PTI) A special POCSO court in Ghaziabad on Monday sentenced a 30-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping a 15-year-old girl, besides imposing a fine of Rs 60,000.

Special Judge Neeraj Gautam pronounced the verdict, directing that the fine amount be paid to the survivor as compensation for the mental and physical trauma she suffered, special public prosecutor Utkarsh Vats said.

According to the prosecution, the convict, identified as Sahul, sexually assaulted the girl multiple times.

The incident took place in September 2018 when the teenager, on her way to her aunt’s house, was dragged by the accused into a room belonging to his relative and raped.

Vats said the accused had also threatened to kill the girl and her family if she disclosed the incident to anyone.

The matter surfaced on January 29, 2019, when her mother took her to Delhi's GTB Hospital after she complained of stomach pain, where doctors revealed that the girl was four months pregnant.

Subsequently, a case under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered and the accused was arrested.

Sahul, who had been out on bail during the trial, was taken into custody immediately after the judgment, and his bail bonds were cancelled, the prosecutor added. PTI COR ABN ABN ARB ARB