Tripura: Youth sentenced to 20 years in POCSO case involving abduction and rape of minor girl

The Special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court in Agartala sentenced 21-year-old Sanjit Rishidas to twenty years of rigorous imprisonment for his heinous acts of abduction and rape of a minor girl. The accused hailing from the Harerkhola area under Kamalpur subdivision was also slapped with a Rs 50,000 fine, failure to pay which will result in an additional year behind bars.

The incident occurred on December 14, 2020, when Rishidas, visiting a relative's house in Dukli area of Agartala for his ailing mother's treatment, committed the atrocious crime. Sources within the court revealed that Rishidas engaged in a carnal relationship with the minor daughter of his relative over a few months before ultimately abducting her.

Following the filing of a First Information Report (FIR), the police successfully rescued the girl from Kamalpur. Sub-Inspector Kajal Rani Das, the inquiry officer  compiled evidence leading to the filing of a charge-sheet under various sections of the POCSO act.

Throughout the trial, a total of 21 individuals provided witness testimonies in support of the prosecution. The Special POCSO Judge, Sharmistha Mookherjee, delivered the final verdict yesterday. Rishidas now faces two decades of rigorous imprisonment and a substantial fine. Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Pradeep Sutradhar effectively represented the government's case during the proceedings.