Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
A POCSO court in Udham Singh Nagar district headquarter, Rudrapur, sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for kidnapping and raping a minor girl three years ago. The judgment was pronounced by POCSO Judge Ashwani Gaur on Wednesday.
According to Special Public Prosecutor Vikas Gupta, the incident occurred on February 15, 2022, when the 16-year-old girl went to school. and did not return home by noon. Her father, upon visiting the school, learned that she had left after taking leave at 10:00 am. Despite his efforts, he could not locate her and subsequently filed a missing report at the Transit Camp police station.
Following an investigation, the police rescued the girl on February 27, 2022, from the captivity of the accused, Akash Avtar, 25, a resident of Bhagatpur village, Sambhal district (UP), at Mudia Tiraha. A medical examination confirmed she had been raped.
During the trial, Gupta presented seven witnesses to substantiate the charges. “The evidence left no room for doubt, leading to the conviction,” Gupta said.
The court also directed the state government to compensate the victim with Rs 2 lakh.
