Pramesh S Jain & Dr.Thomas (Special Correspondent)
The Fast Track Court -II on Tuesday convicted a 27-year-old photographer in a POCSO case and sentenced him to undergo 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs.10,000.
The accused Siddaraju lured his 17-year-old neighbour and eloped in November 2019 and sexually assaulted her on the pretext of marriage in November 2019 .
Initially police had registered a missing case and while searching for her,the victim returned home and narrated the ordeal .
Based on the complaint,the Rajagopalnagar police had registered a case under POCSO and child marriage act and track down the accused and arrested him.
The then Inspector Dinesh Patil filed a charge sheet against the accused and Public Prosecutor AV Madhu argued the case.
The court has also directed the district legal service authority to pay compensation of Rs.4 lakh to the victim.
