Bahraich, January 31: A court in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich on Friday sentenced a father-son duo to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl. Additional District Judge (POCSO) Deep Kant Mani also imposed a fine of Rs 80,000 on the accused, Dhaniram and his son, Ankush.

Special District Government Advocate (POCSO Act) Sant Pratap Singh told PTI that on April 28, 2022, a 15-year-old girl from a village in the Morkahi area of Bihar's Khagaria district, had gone to withdraw scholarship money from a bank near her house. During this time, an unknown person kidnapped the girl from the bank and allegedly sold her to Dhaniram Pandit, a resident of the Khairighat area in Bahraich. Dhaniram brought the girl to Bahraich and married her to his son, Ankush. Uttar Pradesh: Man Rapes 2-Year-Old Girl, Arrested After Encounter in Bulandshahr.

On May 22, 2022, the minor girl lodged a complaint at Khairighat police station in Bahraich, stating that after the marriage, her husband Ankush raped her. When Ankush left the house, his father Dhaniram also assaulted her. Even when she fell ill, she was not allowed to leave the house. When the victim tried to escape, she was forcibly caught and brought back home. The court has ordered that the fine amount be given to the minor girl for her treatment and rehabilitation.

Women and Child Helpline Numbers:

Childline India – 1098; Women’s Helpline – 181; National Commission for Women Helpline – 112; National Commission for Women Helpline Against Violence – 7827170170; Police Women / Senior Citizen Helpline – 1091/ 1291; Missing Child and Women – 1094.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)