CHENNAI: A 53-year-old man was sentenced to a total of 48 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and was slapped with a fine of Rs 50,000 by the Special Pocso Court in Tiruvallur on Thursday for sexually assaulting and threatening a minor girl in Thiruverkadu.
The convict, N Nandakumar, was arrested on a complaint filed by the parents of the 13-year-old girl from the Thiruverkadu police station limits. The girl had gone missing from home on August 22, 2022. The investigation revealed that Nandakumar, a neighbour at the time, had been sexually harassing and intimidating her. Unable to tolerate it any longer, she left home leaving a letter. She was found soon after and her parents proceeded to lodge the complaint with the police. A case was registered against Nandakumar under the Pocso Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
After completing the investigation, the police filed the final report before the court. The court found the charges against Nandakumar proven and pronounced the sentence on Thursday.
The court sentenced him to 10 years of RI each under Sections 450, 376(1) and 376(2)(n) of the IPC, and 10 years under Section 5(l) read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act. He was also sentenced to five years of RI under Section 328 of the IPC and three years under Section 506(2) of the IPC.
The court imposed fines totalling Rs 50,000 and ordered the sentences to run consecutively, with the convict serving the prison terms one after another, adding up to 48 years of rigorous imprisonment.
