Ghaziabad man gets 20 years in jail for sexually assaulting 5-year-old nephew

In September of last year, the suspect lured his nephew to his nearby house on the pretext of playing Ludo. Once inside, the victim boy revealed in his statement before the court that his uncle took him to a room and sexually assaulted him

A Ghaziabad court on Thursday awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment to a 27-year-old man for sexually assaulting his five-year-old nephew in September 2020 in Sahibabad, officials said.

Harish Kumar, the special public prosecutor (Pocso), said that a case was registered at Sahibabad police station the day after the incident. (Representative image)

In September of last year, the suspect lured his nephew to his nearby house on the pretext of playing Ludo. Once inside, the victim boy revealed in his statement before the court that his uncle took him to a room and sexually assaulted him.

Following the incident, the boy disclosed the events to his mother, who promptly took him to a hospital in Mohan Nagar. The doctors at the hospital confirmed the assault, and subsequently, the mother approached the police to report the crime.

Harish Kumar, the special public prosecutor (Pocso), said that a case was registered at Sahibabad police station the day after the incident. “The suspect was arrested and charged under IPC section 377 (unnatural offences) as well as the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso),” he said.

Subsequently, on November 19, 2020, the police filed a chargesheet against the accused. The court framed charges against the man on January 30, 2021, and due to the seriousness of the crime, he was denied bail and remanded in Dasna jail for a period of two years, eight months, and 10 days until his conviction.

During a recent hearing on June 7, the court found the accused guilty, and on Thursday, the court handed down the sentence. “The prosecution presented six witnesses who testified in the case. As a result, the court determined that the accused would serve 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, in addition to a penalty of ₹10,000. The court further stipulated that failure to pay the penalty would result in an additional six months of imprisonment for the convict,” Kumar added.

The court also relied on the testimony of the victim boy wherein he narrated the events and also maintained his statements before a magistrate under CrPC 164. The boy also identified his uncle as accused.