Auto driver sentenced to life term in POCSO case
by The Hindu Bureau · The HinduThe Chickballapur District Sessions Court on Wednesday (November 21) convicted an autorickshaw driver and sentenced him to life imprisonment till the end of his life for kidnapping and raping a 14-year-old girl in June 2020.
The accused, Raju Das, a friend of the victim’s father, used to visit the house frequently and lured his daughter. On June 25, 2020, Raju visited the victim’s house, took the girl in his autorickshaw and took her to an isolated place and raped her. He later took the girl on a motorcycle to his friend’s house in Madanapalli, where he raped her again. Meanwhile, the victim’s mother realised the girl was missing and filed a complaint with the Kenchanahalli police.
The police later investigated the case and tracked down the girl in Madanapalli and reunited her with the family. The police also arrested Raju, charging him with kidnap, rape and also under various sections of the POCSO Act, 2012 and filed a charge sheet before the court.
During the course of the trial, the accused obtained interim bail and managed to escape to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The police again tracked him down in June earlier this year and remanded him into judicial custody till he was convicted on Thursday.
Published - November 21, 2024 06:03 am IST