HYDERABAD: A Medchal court on Friday sentenced a 45-year-old man and his 21-year-old stepson to life imprisonment for the gang rape of a seven-year-old girl in 2023.
The convicts, identified as Shiva Kumar and his stepson Samuel, are natives of Gulbarga in Karnataka. They were neighbours of the victim’s family at the time of the offence.
The incident took place on August 10, 2023. The victim’s mother testified that she and her husband had left their two youngest children at home while they went out for daily wage work. Upon returning that evening, they found their daughter crying in pain and bleeding.
Speaking to TNIE, public prosecutor Vijay Reddy stated that the young girl revealed her neighbours, Shiva Kumar and Samuel, had lured her into their residence and sexually assaulted her.
Following the disclosure, the mother immediately lodged a police complaint. The Petbasheerbad police registered a case under section 376(DB) of the IPC alongside Sections 5(g) and 5(m) read with section 6 of the POCSO Act.
Upon hearing the arguments, the court found the accused guilty and handed them life sentences and awarded compensation of `5 lakh to the victim.
