E-Paper
Mathura court sends three to life in 2019 minor gang rape case
During the trial, seven witnesses, including the victim’s father, the survivor herself, a doctor, police personnel, the investigating officer and the principal of the school where the girl studied, were examined before the court.
The court of Additional Special Judge, POCSO Act, in Mathura sentenced three convicts to life imprisonment and two others, including a woman who assisting the accused, for 20 year in prison in connection with the 2019 kidnapping and rape of a minor, who was allegedly given an intoxicating drink before the assault.
The judgment was delivered on Friday in Sessions Trial No. 01/2020, State versus Ravi and others, related to Crime Case No. 740 of 2019 registered at Kosi Kalan Police Station under Sections 363 (kidnapping) and 376D (gang rape) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Sections 5/6 and 16/17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The case was filed against the accused Ravi, Aqib, Pankaj, Ramu and a woman identified as Neeraj.
The father of the 16-year-old victim lodged a complaint at Kosi Kalan Police Station stating that his daughter had left for school on December 3, 2019, but was intercepted by the female accused, Neeraj, on the way. The complaint alleged that Neeraj took the girl to her house, where she was allegedly given an intoxicating drink that left her unconscious.
When the girl regained consciousness, she found herself inside a car parked near a hotel in the Chhata area of Mathura. According to the complaint, four men — identified as Ravi, Pankaj, Ramu and another unidentified person — along with the woman accused, Neeraj, were present in the vehicle. The accused allegedly gang-raped the minor, after which a case was registered at Kosi Kalan Police Station.
During the trial, seven witnesses, including the victim’s father, the survivor herself, a doctor, police personnel, the investigating officer and the principal of the school where the girl studied, were examined before the court. The court took cognisance of the chargesheet on January 30, 2020, and framed charges against the accused on March 2, 2021. However, the accused denied all charges.
On May 7, 2026, Brijesh Kumar held Ravi, Pankaj and Ramu guilty of kidnapping, gang rape and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, while the other two accused, Neeraj and Aqib, were convicted of kidnapping and relevant offences under the POCSO Act. The convicted persons were subsequently taken into custody.
On May 8, 2026, the court sentenced Ravi, Ramu and Pankaj to life imprisonment, while Neeraj and Aqib were awarded 20 years’ imprisonment along with monetary penalties.
