SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 17: A special court for the Protection of Child for Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) awarded 20 years imprisonment to two accused, Sunni Mandal and Suraj Dome, residents of Jharia, in a minor girl’s rape case.
Special judge of POCSO court Prabhakar Singh while pronouncing the judgment in a three-year-old case also slapped a penalty of Rs 7,000 each on both the accused. The court held both the accused guilty in the case on Thursday and announced the punishment today.
According to the FIR lodged in the Jorapokhar police station on February 29, 2020, by the father of the victim, the girl was living at the house of her maternal uncle when the accused Sunni Mandal took her away promising to get married.
He kept her for eight days in his captivity before the police found them. The victim girl in her statement in court alleged that Sunni Mandal along with his friend Suraj Dome raped her all eight days during captivity.
The police after investigation filed a chargesheet against both the accused on June 5, 2020. Seven witnesses were cross-examined during the trial in court.