BENGALURU: A youth was handed down 20 years of imprisonment on Thursday after a child-friendly court found him guilty of raping a minor at the knifepoint in a 2014 gang rape case.
The convicted is 21-year-old G Manoj from Krishnanananda Nagar in Nandini Layout. The main accused N Lokesh (24) from Kanteerava Nagar had died in an accident earlier.
Judge Yadava Vanamala convicted the accused terming the case as heinous in nature. This may be the first case involving conviction by the special child-friendly court which was established in city in the first week of August.At 8 pm on December 9, 2014, Lokesh intercepted the minor near a park at Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, when she was returning home. When she cried for help, the accused threatened her at knifepoint. Manoj covered her eyes using her veil and dragged her towards the bush inside the park behind Shanimahatma temple. Lokesh and Manoj then took turns to rape the minor.
Both the accused ran away after the victim’s mother came to the park in search of her.Her mother brought her to the house and later lodged a complaint at Nandini Layout Police Station. The accused were arrested and the knife used in crime was recovered from the possession of Lokesh.A chargesheet was subsequently submitted against the accused for the offences punishable under Section 376 (2)(g) read with 34 of IPC and Section 5(g) (h) and 6 of POCSO Act.