NALGONDA: The Nalgonda District POCSO Court has sentenced a man to 21 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for sexually exploiting a 16-year-old girl in 2018.
The incident took place in Dugunelli village of Kattangur mandal. The accused, identified as J Harish from the same village, lured the minor girl with a promise of marriage and sexually exploited her for a year before fleeing along with his family.
Following the incident, the victim’s family lodged a complaint to Kattangur police station on July 23, 2018.
After hearing the case, Judge N Rojaramani found J Harish guilty under IPC sections 420 (Cheating) and 376 (Sexual Assault), as well as sections 5(i) and 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012. As per the verdict, the accused was sentenced to 21 years of imprisonment and fined Rs 25,000.
The court also ordered a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the victim to be paid under Section 3 of the POCSO Act.