Kolkata, Dec 8 (IANS) After nine months of registering the case, the special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on Monday convicted a man and sentenced him to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a minor girl.

At the same time, the court imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh to the convict.

In default, the court has sentenced the accused man to another two months of imprisonment.

Apart from this, the judge has ordered a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the minor girl.

According to court sources, the incident took place in a village under Dhupguri police station in Jalpaiguri district in October last year.

The man allegedly raped a minor girl by threatening her.

Later, he again threatened the victim to keep the crime secret.

The minor girl later became pregnant due to the act of the man who was her neighbour.

As soon as the incident came to light, a written complaint was filed with the local police station in March this year.

After the incident, the police arrested the accused and filed a case under the POCSO Act.

The DNA test report of the minor’s child, which was conducted following the arrest of the accused, was submitted to the court.

Based on the evidence and other relevant materials, the court pronounced the judgment.

Jalpaiguri POCSO Court Assistant Public Prosecutor, Debashish Daw, said, “Based on the testimony and evidence of nine people, the judge has convicted the accused and sentenced him to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment.”

Sources said that following Monday’s development, the minor’s family is happy with the court’s judgment.

According to police sources, the matter is being seen as a victory of the police investigation and the swift action that was taken following the registration of the case based on the written complaint from the family of the minor girl.

–IANS

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