Chickballapur man sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment in POCSO case

The Additional District and Sessions Court in Chickballapur sentenced a 28-year-old truck cleaner to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹50,000 in a case involving the abduction, child marriage and sexual assault of a minor girl.

The convict has been identified as Lakshman, 28, a cleaner by profession and a resident of Gondipalli village, Bagepalli taluk, Chickballapur district.

Judge Latha Kumari, who presided over the case, held the accused guilty, sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹50,000.

A case was registered at Patapalya Police Station on May 30, 2022, following a complaint regarding the disappearance of a minor girl. Initially, a case was booked under Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Subsequently, police invoked Sections 363, 343, and 376(2)(n) of the IPC, Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and Section 9 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

During the course of investigation, the minor girl was traced on June 3, 2022 at the house of the accused’s relative.

According to the police, the accused got into a relationship with the minor girl, forced her to elope, and married her, police said. Based on her statement and the evidence collected, it was found that the accused had abducted the minor, and subjected her to repeated sexual assault.

The investigation was conducted by the then Chelur Circle Inspector Ravikumar, CPI, who filed the charge sheet before the Fast Track Special Court (FTSC–1), Chickballapur.