Ballia: A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act Court in Uttar Pradesh has sentenced a 16-year-old boy to 25 years in prison for abducting a minor girl in 2023.
The Court has directed authorities to ensure his education and physical development until age 21 before transferring him to Mau district jail, a prosecution official said on Saturday, as reported by PTI.
The incident occurred on the morning of July 15, 2023, when a 13-year-old girl from a village in the Pakhri police station area stepped out of her home to relieve herself. A minor boy from a village in the Salempur police station area of Deoria district then lured and abducted her, special public prosecutor Vimal Kumar Rai said.
The convicted juvenile will be placed under the supervision of the superintendent of the Special Home in Ghazipur with a mandate to ensure his education as well as his mental and physical development until he turns 21. Upon reaching 21, he will be transferred to the Mau district jail to serve the remainder of his sentence, the court in Ballia ordered on Friday.
According to Rai, ADJ (Pocso) Pratham Kant held the accused guilty, sentenced him to 25 years of imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on him.
A case was registered against the boy under sections of the IPC and the Pocso Act, based on a complaint by the girl’s mother. The police filed a charge sheet against the minor boy in the court after investigation.