SURAT: A 39-year-old auto rickshaw driver was convicted for rape and sexual assault to a 13-year-old girl on Wedensday by a special court for cases registered under POCSO Act.
The convict was sentenced to 20 years in jail by the court of justice Aarti Vyas.
The survivor became pregnant due to repeated rapes and the accused was keeping her with him in his native village in Muraina of Madhya Pradesh.
The court convicted Virsinh alias Kallu Sikarwar, a resident of Kanaj village near Olpad of Surat district, for rape and sexual assault to the minor and impregnating her.
He was sentenced to 20 years in jail by the court.
The court ordered Rs 3 lakh compensation to the survivor.
Sikarwar was convicted for rape, sexual assault and kidnapping under various sections of Indian Panel Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
“The court convicted the accused based on statements of the survivor and scientific evidence.
Involvement of the convict was proved in DNA profiling of the foetus that was aborted,” said Nayan Sukhadwala, district government pleader, Surat.
Sikarwar developed friendship with the survivor in 2018 and started raping her claiming that her father had borrowed money from him.
Sikarwar threatened the minor that he will thrash her parents if she doesn’t do as per his wish.
Later Sikarwar went to stay in his village in MP and called the minor to meet him in Gwalior.
He took her to his native village Panchampura of Devgadh and forced her to stay with him.
The complaint was lodged in Jahangirpura police station in November 2018.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)