Puttur: A 32-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for the abduction and rape of a minor girl and threatening her in a case registered at Kadaba police station in Dakshina Kannada district.

The convicted man, Ravi alias Ravindra Acharya, a resident of Nelyadi in Puttur, was found guilty by the 7th Additional District and Sessions Court, Mangaluru, functioning at Puttur. Judge Sumangala pronounced the sentence after finding the charges against him proved.

The court also imposed fines for the offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Court imposes 20-year sentence under POCSO Act

The court sentenced Ravi to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for the offence punishable under Section 5(l), read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012.

A fine of Rs 25,000 was also imposed for this offence. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to undergo an additional year of rigorous imprisonment.

The case was registered at Kadaba police station as Crime No. 208/2018. The accused was booked under Sections 376(2)(i) and 506 of the IPC, along with Sections 5(l), 6 and 12 of the POCSO Act, according to the case details.

The proceedings concerned allegations of abduction, sexual assault of a minor and criminal intimidation.

Additional sentence for criminal intimidation

For the offence punishable under Section 506 of the IPC, the court sentenced the accused to one year of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000.

In default of payment of this fine, he will have to undergo an additional year of rigorous imprisonment.

The court directed that the sentences run concurrently. Therefore, the imprisonment terms will be served at the same time rather than consecutively.

Police investigation and prosecution

D Manjunath, who was then the police circle inspector at Uppinangady, investigated the case and filed the charge sheet against the accused before the court.

Public prosecutor Pushparaj Adantaya presented the arguments on behalf of the prosecution during the trial.

After examining the case, the court found the charges against Ravi proved and pronounced the sentence.

The verdict concludes the trial at the Puttur court, with the principal punishment being 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under the POCSO Act.