The District POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) Court here on awarded a stringent double life imprisonment to a migrant labourer from West Bengal for the sexual assault of an 8-year-old girl in Gummidipoondi taluk last year. The trial, conducted in a fast-track manner, concluded within five months.
The convict, identified as Raju Biswakarma, was found guilty of abducting and assaulting the Class IV student in the afternoon of , as she was returning home from school. The heinous crime had triggered widespread outrage across the State.
According to the prosecution, the minor victim, a resident of Arambakkam village, was waylaid by the accused. Following the incident, a massive manhunt was launched by the Police. Biswakarma was subsequently apprehended near the Sulurpet railway station in Andhra Pradesh.
In its verdict delivered today, the special court held the accused guilty under relevant sections of the BNS and the POCSO Act. Emphasising the grave nature of the offence and the need for deterrence, Judge pronounced two sentences of life imprisonment to run consecutively.
