Nuh: Man gets 20-year term for raping minor in 2022

Victim and two eyewitnesses turned hostile during trial, but forensic match of semen samples with accused’s blood proved crucial.

A special fast-track court in Nuh has sentenced a 27-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a then 14-year-old girl in Ferozpur Jhirka in October 2022, police said on Saturday. The conviction came despite the victim and two eyewitnesses turning hostile during trial.

Then 14-year-old was allegedly abducted from Mahu village on October 21, 2022; FIR was filed the next day and arrest followed. (File photo)

The court of additional session judge Ashu Sanjeev Tinjan also imposed an overall fine of ₹70,000 after convicting Mohammad Saad alias Ekka, 27, under sections 366, 450 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Vijay Sehrawat, Nuh public prosecutor, said the victim, who was also the complainant, and two eyewitnesses, her family members who rescued her, “had turned hostile probably due to fear of the convict and his family but even then prosecution managed to ensure his conviction due to strong forensic evidence.”

“Vaginal swabs collected in the course of medical examination of the victim was sent for forensic analysis which semen was found. Its DNA profile was positively matched with Saad’s blood sample collected after a court order which established beyond any doubt that he was the one who was raped the victim,” Sehrawat said.

Krishan Kumar, public relations officer of Nuh police, said the incident took place at Mahu village on October 21, 2022, when the accused allegedly abducted the girl from her home and raped her. An FIR was registered at Ferozpur Jhirka on October 22, 2022, and he was immediately arrested.