PRATAPGARH: A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district on Friday sentenced a man to 20 years of imprisonment in connection with the kidnapping and rape of a 17-year-old girl. Special Public Prosecutor Nirbhay Singh on Saturday said the victim’s uncle, in his complaint submitted to the Udaipur police station (Pratapgarh), alleged that Sameer Ahmed of the same village hired away his niece in the afternoon of July 14, 2024.
The victim told the court in her statement that Sameer called her on the phone to have physical relations with her, and took her on his motorcycle to his aunt’s house, where no one lived. There, he had a physical relationship with her and said that he would marry her if she converted to his religion.
Police registered a case against the accused Sameer under sections of kidnapping, rape, and the POCSO Act and filed a charge sheet in the court. Additional District Judge (POCSO), Pratapgarh, Parul Verma, on Friday held Sameer Ahmad guilty and sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the accused, Singh said. The court ordered that the fine amount be given to the rape survivor for her rehabilitation, he added.
