Gujarat: 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment given to man for kidnap, rape of 15-year-old girl

RAJKOT: A 22-year-old man working in a brass parts factory in Jamnagar was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment after being convicted of abduction and rape of a 15-year-old girl who also became pregnant.
The special court of Judge Arti Vyas under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act convicted Siddhraj Parmar under various sections of the POCSO Act.
“The court also ordered the state government to pay Rs 10.5 lakh compensation to the rape survivor besides imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 on the accused,” assistant government pleader Bhartiben Wadi told TOI.
According to the case details, Parmar lured the girl to his house in Jamnagar in January 2021 after promising to marry her and took her to Jodhpur in Rajasthan. While in Jodhpur, the accused raped her several times for nearly three months. Meanwhile, the girl’s parents filed a police complaint of abduction with the Panch B Division police station in Jamnagar. While the police were investigating the case, they received information that the accused had brought the girl to a private hospital for check-up as she was pregnant.
While they were returning home, the police nabbed Parmar and rescued the girl.
The girl told the police that the accused had raped her several times over three months when they were living together. She added that Parmar had even raped her prior to abducting her to Jodhpur. He would assault her sexually whenever he found her alone in her house.
The girl further told the police that Parmar had threatened to shame her family if she complained to the police.
During the trial, the court found Parmar guilty of abduction, rape and under sections of POCSO based on the documentary evidence submitted by the prosecution.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)