Auto driver sentenced to 20 years in POCSO rape case in Cyberabad
HYDERABAD: A special court has sentenced a 23-year-old auto driver to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment after convicting him in a rape case involving a minor girl under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The convict, Mohd Afroz, a resident of Lingampally and a native of Karnataka, was found guilty in Crime No. 190/2020 registered at Chandanagar police station under Sections 363 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 5 read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012.
Minor reported missing after leaving home
According to police, the victim’s mother lodged a complaint on March 16, 2020, stating that her minor daughter had left home on March 15, 2020, while she was away for work. Despite searching nearby areas, the family could not trace the girl.
Police registered a case under Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code and launched an investigation.
Investigation led to POCSO charges
During the investigation, police found that the accused had become acquainted with the victim and allegedly promised to marry her. Investigators said he took the minor away from her house and sexually assaulted her multiple times.
Based on the victim’s statement, police added Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 5 read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act to the case.
Police arrested the accused on July 10, 2020. After completing the investigation, they filed a charge sheet before the court.
Following a full trial, T. Srinivas, Special Judge for the Trial and Disposal of Rape and POCSO Act Cases, Rangareddy district, at Rajendranagar, convicted the accused and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of ₹3,000 and awarded compensation of ₹1,00,000 to the victim.
The details were released by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crimes, Cyberabad.
