Man sentenced to ten years in jail for rape of minor girl in Noida

Saurabh Dwivedi, special judge under the Pocso Act, on Tuesday relied on the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and medical report and convicted the accused

A 30-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Noida, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday. The incident took place in 2021 when the victim went missing from a temple in Sector 49, they added.

Police traced the accused’s mobile phone location to Madhya Pradesh. On January 25, a police team raided the location, rescued the victim, and arrested the accused. The man was taken to court and placed in judicial custody. (Shutterstock/representational image)

The police traced the accused to Madhya Pradesh, from where they rescued the girl and arrested the rapist, a mason by profession, said officials.

Special public prosecutor Chawanpal Singh said the victim lived with her family in Noida’s Sector 49. “On January 25, 2021, her mother filed a complaint at the local police station, stating that on January 9, her daughter had gone to the local Shani temple and did not return. She suspected a neighbour of luring her daughter away,” he said.

Police registered an FIR and began an investigation. They traced the accused’s mobile phone location to Madhya Pradesh. On January 25, a police team raided the location, rescued the victim, and arrested the accused. The man was taken to court and placed in judicial custody, said officials.

A chargesheet was filed on April 19, 2021, and the charges were framed on September 20, 2021. The accused denied the charges and chose to face trial. During the trial, the prosecution presented five witnesses, including the victim, her mother, police officers, and doctors, the court order copy showed.

During trial, the victim testified that her neighbour met her near the temple and told her that he was returning home and offered her a lift in an auto. He offered her some food laced with sedatives, and later she lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, she realised that she was in Ghatari in Madhya Pradesh. Her neighbour confined her to a small room and raped her. On January 23, she managed to use the accused’s phone to call her mother, who then informed the police.

The victim’s mother corroborated the account. Dr Bharat Bhushan, who conducted the victim’s medical examination, confirmed that the victim was raped.

The prosecution argued that there was sufficient evidence that the accused had kidnapped the victim and committed rape.

Sachin Kumar, lawyer of the accused, argued that the girl had willingly gone with the accused and there was no compulsion and hence the accused should be acquitted.

Saurabh Dwivedi, special judge under the Pocso Act, on Tuesday relied on the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and medical report and convicted the accused. “He is sentenced to ten years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 4 of the Pocso Act; five years of imprisonment under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code and seven years of imprisonment under Section 366 (kidnapping a woman and forcing her marriage) of the IPC, The court also fined him ₹40,000 and said the sentences will run concurrently.