KOTA: A POCSO court in Bundi has sentenced a man to 20-year imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl and slapped a penalty of Rs 35,000 on the convict, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Mahaveer Meghwal said on Friday. He said the court on Thursday afternoon convicted Chothamal Bheel (25) from Sumerganjmandi town under Indergarh police station of Bundi district, to 20 year imprisonment for raping the minor girl of his neighbour in November 2019.
The minor lodged the rape case against Bheel on November 7, 2019. She alleged that he raped her with the threat to life at night while she was asleep alone in her room as her parents were in adjoining room, the SPP said.
He said she stated in the report that Bheel broke into her room from the rooftop, choked her with a piece of cloth and took her to next room where he raped her.
She said she eventually managed to untie the cloth over her mouth and screamed following which her parents rushed to the room; however, Bheel had fled.
The police lodged the rape case under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The SPP said the police, following initial investigation and medical examination of the minor, arrested Bheel and submitted charge sheet in the court against him, but he was released on bail.
The POCSO court-2 judge Arun Kumar Jain on Thursday afternoon held Bheel guilty of the rape of the minor under sections of IPC and POCSO Act and convicted him to 20-year imprisonment.
The convict was then sent to jail, Meghwal said, adding that statements of 9 witnesses were recorded and 16 documents produced before the court during the trial.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
