TIRUNELVELI: An autorickshaw driver, who was found guilty of abducting a 16-year-old girl with the promise of marrying her and raping her repeatedly, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the special court for exclusive trial of cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act on Saturday.
Special public prosecutor of the court said that the girl, a school dropout, is from a village near Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli district. The accused was 27 years old when the incident took place in November 2016.
The girl’s parents used to leave the house early in the morning to run their eatery,. The girl went missing from her house on November 14, 2016, and her parents lodged a complaint with the police. During inquiry the police came to know that she was abducted by the auto driver with the promise of marrying her. A fine of Rs 20,000 was also slapped on him.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)