Youth gets 15-yrs-jail in rape, cheating case

A special court has on Wednesday sentenced a 27-yearold man to 15 years rigorous imprisonment for having sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old on the promise of marriage and cheating her by taking her gold ornaments. The court said, “In the present case, the prosecutrix trusted the words of the accused. The accused took advantage of the trust. He not only committed illicit intercourse/penetrative sexual assault, but also took cash as well as gold ornaments from the complainant under the false promise of marriage and thereafter went away to his native place and blocked the number of prosecutrix.” Designated judge under the POCSO Sanjashree J Gharat further said in her judgment that from the evidence produced on record, the accused had intention to cheat the complainant from the inception. As per the police complaint lodged in Nirmal Nagar police station, the youth who worked at a hookah parlour, had come in touch with the victim through common friends. They had developed relations. He had then asked her for Rs 50,000 saying that his mother, who lives at Benaras, was not keeping well. The girl gave some gold jewellery of hers. He had then called her to his home and there, he had sexual relations with her promising marriage. Some months later he asked her for Rs 8 lakh for his aunt’s marriage. She gave him gold jewellery again, borrowed Rs 2 lakh from a cousin and took another Rs 2 lakh from her home’s safe and gave him. Thereafter, he went to his native in UP and blocked her number. The court has recommended compensation to the victim and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the youth.