Chandigarh: 20-year jail for youth who raped 12-year-old girl twice
An FIR was then lodged under Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 376-AB (rape on woman under 12 years of age) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at the Mauli Jagran police station, Chandigarh
In the second such sentencing within four days, a local court has awarded 20-year rigorous imprisonment to a youth for raping a 12-year-old girl twice and threatening her with murder in 2022.
While the detailed court order is awaited, the convict, Mohammed Nadeem, who hails from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and was 19 years old when he committed the crime, was acquainted with the child.
Two days prior to Holi in March 2022, he had raped her and threatened her with murder if she revealed the incident to anyone. On June 8, 2022, while the child was home alone, he raped her again at her house, following which police were alerted.
An FIR was then lodged under Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 376-AB (rape on woman under 12 years of age) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at the Mauli Jagran police station. Following the child’s statement and medical examination, Nadeem was arrested.
During trial, Nadeem claimed that he was falsely implicated and had reached a compromise with the girl’s family. He was also granted bail on July 28, 2023. But on Wednesday, he was convicted for rape and for offences under the POCSO Act and sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday.
On Monday, in a similar court order, a 20-year-old youth was sentenced to 20-year rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping, raping and impregnating a 17-year-old girl from his neighbourhood in May 2019.