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Child Exploited for 3 Years: Two Jailed 20 Years
21 Nov
Summary
- Two men received 20-year sentences for child sexual exploitation.
- The victim revealed the abuse six years after the ordeal.
- Police inspector faces action for delaying FIR registration.
In a landmark decision, a special Pocso court in Ahmedabad has handed down a 20-year prison sentence to two individuals for the prolonged sexual exploitation of a child. The accused, a 73-year-old neighbor and his 26-year-old cousin, were found guilty of committing penetrative sexual assaults on the victim over a three-year period, until she was 12 years old. The abuse began when the victim was in the fourth grade and continued until 2017.
The victim's ordeal, which caused severe depression and made her withdrawn, came to light only in 2023, six years after the assaults ceased. Following her disclosure, an FIR was lodged with Maninagar police. The prosecution successfully presented 10 witnesses and 28 documentary evidence pieces to establish the guilt of the accused.
The court, presided over by Judge Asmika Bhatt, not only imposed the lengthy jail terms but also levied fines of Rs 1.6 lakh and Rs 2.6 lakh on the septuagenarian and the cousin, respectively. A significant compensation of Rs 7 lakh was ordered for the victim. Notably, the court expressed strong displeasure with the then Maninagar police inspector, D.P. Unadkat, for his month-long delay in registering the FIR, ordering action against him under the Pocso Act for dereliction of duty.
