HYDERABAD: A 28-year-old man, Vadde Prakash, was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a minor girl in 2016. The Special Sessions Judge for POCSO cases, Rangareddy Harisha, also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the convict.
The incident occurred in Vikarabad district when Prakash, then 19 years old, kidnapped and raped the minor, who belonged to the SC community. The survivor was appearing for her SSC examinations at the time.
According to police, the survivor and the convict knew each other prior to the crime, as he was following her on her way to school and proposed to her. After the girl went missing following her last exam, her father filed a complaint with the Chevella police.
The police rescued the survivor a few days later. Based on her statement, charges of rape, violation of the POCSO Act, and the Prevention of Atrocities against SCs & STs Act were filed against Prakash, leading to his arrest.
The Special Sessions Judge found Prakash guilty after examining the survivor’s testimony, witness statements, and other evidence. This verdict delivers justice to the survivor after seven years.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
