Gurugram Court Gives 20-Year Term in POCSO Case

GURUGRAM: A local court has convicted a 28-year-old man in a case involving the rape and abduction of a 17-year-old girl and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment, police said on Friday, citing a Haryana Police press release.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and five years imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 each under Sections 363 and 366 of the Indian Penal Code, a Gurugram police spokesperson said.

According to police, a complaint regarding the disappearance of the minor was received at Sector 14 police station on 9 April 2023. A case was registered under relevant IPC sections. Medical examination confirmed sexual assault, after which POCSO provisions were added. During investigation, Gurugram Police arrested the accused, Indrajeet alias Ashu, a resident of Bazpur in Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar. A chargesheet was filed based on investigation and witness testimonies. The court convicted him on Thursday, police said.

"The court sentenced the accused to 20 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and five years of imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 each under Sections 363 and 366 of the IPC," the spokesperson said.

The conviction closes a three-year prosecutorial arc that began with a missing-person complaint at Sector 14 and moved through medical corroboration, arrest, chargesheet and trial. Police have presented the outcome as the result of sustained investigation and witness evidence tested in court. Sentencing under both POCSO and IPC abduction provisions reflects the composite charges framed after the medical findings were added to the original IPC case.

Details that could identify the survivor are withheld. The police account is limited to the complaint date, station, investigation steps, conviction and the quantum of imprisonment and fines. Any further appellate steps will be a matter for the defence and the higher courts. For local policing, the Sector 14 origin of the 2023 FIR and Friday's confirmation of a 20-year term mark one of the week's clearer judicial closures in the district.

The accused's recorded residence in Bazpur was cited only as part of the arrest particulars released by police. Police did not release further personal details of the survivor beyond the age recorded in the case.

The Sector 14 FIR of April 2023 and Thursday's conviction together bookend the police timeline released with Friday's statement.