KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, June 16: The court of district and sessions judge – I, Chaibasa on Friday sentenced a 24-year-old youth to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for allegedly raping a minor girl in Keraikela Thana area in West Singhbhum in November 2021.
Apart from the rigorous imprisonment, the court which deals in the cases under POCSO Act has slapped the convict with a penalty of Rs 10,000 failing to pay which he will have to serve an additional jail term.
The court has convicted the accused identified as Bagun Jonko under Section 376 (A) (B) and 4/6 of the POCSO Act.
According to the prosecution, the minor girl along with her mother had on November 7, 2021, gone to Khairudih village in Keraikela for watching a football match.
While returning home, the victim’s mother felt the pressure of nature’s call. She therefore went over to a bush leaving her minor daughter to wait for her. But in the meantime, the accused who is a resident of Sonua came to the girl and took her along on the pretext of giving her sweets. On the way, the accused raped the girl.
The victim had narrated to her mother what meted out to her, leading her mother to lodge an FIR with the Keraikela thana.
Though the accused was unknown, the police carried out an investigation scientifically and ultimately detected the culprit and arrested him.
