Bengaluru, March 10: A court in Bengaluru recently sentenced a rape accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The 49-year-old accused who has been charged with raping a minor girl tried to take advantage of his speech disability during the trial and even claimed innocence. However, the fast-track court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act cases awarded jail terms to the accused.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on the accused. As per a report in the Times of India, the court went ahead with the eight-year-old survivor’s statement on what transpired at her residence in south Bengaluru in Aug 2022. The convict has been identified as Kalu Sonar, a native of Nepal who has been living in Bengaluru for more than 10 years. Bengaluru Shocker: Wife Stabs Sleeping Husband With Kitchen Knife After Not Receiving Present from Him on Wedding Anniversary, Complaint Filed.

During the investigation, police learned that Sonar lived with the victim's grandmother after her husband spurned her. The survivor used to visit and stay at her grandmother's pace regularly. On August 15, 2022, the girl returned home after taking part in Independence Day celebrations at school but her grandmother was not at home. The accused lured her with chocolates and allegedly raped her.

He even asked her not to disclose the incident. However, the victim narrated the incident to her parents and grandmother who returned home in the evening. The survivor's mother approached the cops and lodged a police complaint against the accused. Soon the police arrested Sonar. The accused, who has a speech disability used sign language and claimed his innocence. Bengaluru Shocker: Manipur Woman Assaulted and Molested in Koramangala, Four Minors Detained.

However, DNA samples and medical reports confirmed the offence he committed. In her statement, the victim also identified Sonar as the accused.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2024 12:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).