Jharkhand youth gets 20 years RI for raping minor

A Jharkhand court has sentenced a 19-year-old youth to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl in Simdega district last year.

Akash Kumar Pradhan was found guilty under POCSO Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code on Thursday.

Additional district judge (I), Neeraj Kumar Srivastav pronounced the sentence on Pradhan and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him, additional public prosecutor Subhas Prasad said.

The incident had taken place on July 6 last year when the eight-year-old victim fell sick at a marriage programme and was vomiting outside the venue that falls under Kurdeg police station limits.

The accused, a labourer hired to fix a tent, had whisked away the girl to a secluded place and raped her.

However, the local residents reached the spot on hearing the victim's cries for help, nabbed Pradhan when he tried to flee and handed him over to the police.