Gujarat court sentences man to 30 years in jail for abduction and rape of girl

Mehsana, Jan 16 (PTI) A special court in Gujarat's Mehsana district on Friday sentenced a 42-year-old man to 30 years' imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl.

The verdict of the special POCSO Act court came within eight months after the trial started.

Judge Sarang Kale held the accused, Satyanarayan Goswami, guilty under sections 4 (2) and 6 the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act which deal with penetrative and aggravated penetrative sexual assault. He was also convicted under sections 137 (2) and 87 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with kidnapping for forced marriage.

The court also ordered the payment of a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the victim from the state's victim compensation fund.

As per the prosecution, the girl left home on her bicycle to meet her mother, a labourer at a local market, on the morning of February 9, 2025, when Goswami abducted her with the intention of forcing her to marry him.

The accused was soon traced and the girl was rescued. He confessed to have sexually assaulted her. The prosecution examined 10 witnesses and exhibited 18 documents to establish the case against the accused. PTI COR KA KRK