BY TC News Desk
Agartala, September 13: A minor girl who was kidnapped and raped by a bike rider in March this year got justice on Wednesday, when the Udaipur district court sentenced the accused to 20 years in jail and fined him four thousand rupees.
The court also ordered the accused, Shamim Ahmed, to pay three thousand rupees to the victim as compensation, failing which he would have to spend two more months in prison.
The incident took place on March 18, 2021, when the victim was on her way to school in Bhoomihin Tila area of Udaipur Radhakishorpur police station. Ahmed, who was also a minor and lived in Hirapur area, offered to take her to school on his bike. However, he took her to Tepania Eco Park instead, and then dragged her to a nearby forest, where he raped her at knife-point.
The victim’s mother lodged a complaint at the Radhakishorpur Women’s Police Station, and the police arrested Ahmed and filed a charge sheet against him under sections 363 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The case was heard by Justice Ashutosh Pandey, who accepted the testimony of 12 witnesses. After a long hearing, he pronounced the verdict, which was welcomed by the victim’s family and their lawyer, Paltu Das.
Das said that the court had given a strong message to the society by punishing the culprit severely. He also praised the police for their swift action and investigation.
