'Serial rapist' sentenced to life imprisonment for assaulting minor girl in Bahraich

Bahraich (UP), Sep 24 (PTI) A special court in Bahraich on Wednesday sentenced a 32-year-old man to life imprisonment for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl, officials said.

Special District Government Counsel (POCSO) Sant Pratap Singh said the convict, identified as Avinash Pandey alias ‘Simple’, had been targeting girls aged between 5 and 7 years and is a "serial rapist".

Special Additional Sessions Judge (POCSO) Deep Kant Mani delivered the judgment on Wednesday in one of the four cases against Pandey.

The court sentenced him to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1.6 lakh, which will be handed over to the victim.

According to Singh, since June 25, Bahraich police had been receiving complaints from Sujauli area about a man abducting minor girls between 3 AM and 4 AM while they were asleep outside their homes during peak summer.

“He would take the children to the nearby forest on a bicycle, show them obscene videos on his phone, assault them, and then try to placate them with toffees, food items or new clothes,” Singh told PTI.

Police investigations revealed that the accused deliberately preyed on very young children so that they would not be able to reveal the incident.

Based on statements from the victims, police tracked down the accused, who was addicted to alcohol and had a tattoo on his hand. In early July, police registered four FIRs under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the POCSO Act and other provisions.

On July 6, Avinash Pandey was taken into custody on suspicion and questioned. Objectionable images of minors were found on his phone.

Police also recovered the clothes of the victims, his bicycle, two mobile phones and other evidence.

Singh said that this is the first judgment in Bahraich under the new BNS provisions. PTI CORR ABN RT