KOCHI: Santhosh Madhavan, found guilty of sexually harassing minor girls, was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment by the Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court here on Wednesday.
Additional Sessions Judge K Haripal also imposed a fine of Rs two lakh on him after convicting him in two cases related to sexual harassment of minor girls under various Sections of the IPC.
Though he was chargesheeted in cases of rape of three minor girls and a woman, two of the minor girls and the woman turned hostile during the trial. Madhavan has been awarded eight years’ imprisonment each in two cases.
The charges against him were that he had lured the minor girls hailing from poor families, confined and sexually exploited them between January and March 2006.
While convicting and sentencing Madhavan, the court relied on various evidence, including CDs seized from his house and the submissions made by the victim.
The court yesterday acquitted Thomas, the second accused and driver of Madhavan, on the ground that the prosecution was not able to prove the charges levelled against him beyond reasonable doubt. Santhosh Madhavan was arrested on May 13, 2008, on a complaint lodged by a Dubai-based Malayali woman. In her complaint, Serafin Edwin had alleged that she was cheated of Rs 45 lakh by Madhavan.
Following the complaint, the police conducted searches at Santhitheeram, a guesthouse run by Santhosh Madhavan, and seized various incriminating documents and pornographic CDs.
Madhavan was earlier denied bail in these cases by the High Court and the Supreme Court.