A court in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district has sentenced a 60-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping a minor girl about four years ago.
The victim, then 13 years old and acquainted with the convict, is now an unmarried mother as a consequence of the rape.
The Judge
The sessions judge-I court sentenced Selai Birua to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000. Charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act were filed based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother at Manjhari police station. The accused was arrested by the police and subsequently placed in judicial custody.
The Heinous Incident
Birua lured the girl to a nearby forest under the pretext of gathering firewood and raped her there under threat. The victim remained silent about the incident for some time, only revealing it to her mother when she experienced abdominal pain. Following medical examination, it was determined that she was pregnant.
West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Shekhar stated that the victim now has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter.
