Koderma Court Sentences Two Men to Rigorous Imprisonment for Minor's Rape and Harassment Under POCSO Act

Koderma: The court of additional district and sessions judge first-cum-Special Pocso Judge Ghulam Haider on Thursday sentenced two men to rigorous imprisonment for rape and harassment of a minor.The accused are Neeraj Kumar (23), a resident of Rewari in Haryana, and Akram Khan alias Mukesh Chaudhary, a resident of Koderma. The case dates back to 2024 and the case was also filed in the same year.Neeraj Kumar befriended the girl on social media and came down to Koderma to meet her. After gaining her trust, he raped her. He then threatened the girl to keep quiet.Later in that year, Khan, who introduced himself as Mukesh Chaudhary to the girl’s family, gained their trust and started living in their house on the pretext of some treatment. Gradually he befriended the girl and then after establishing friendship, raped her. He also threatened her to circulate her pictures if she told anybody about it. It was after this incident that the girl confided to her family about the ordeal. Her mother then lodged a complaint following which the two were arrested.The court sentenced Neeraj to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs 20,000 under Section 6 of the Pocso Act. Additionally, he received 20 years under Section 4(2) of the same act, along with sentences ranging from one to seven years for kidnapping, criminal intimidation, and the distribution of explicit content under the IT Act. Failure to pay the imposed fines will result in an extension of his prison term by up to one year for each primary count.The court took even sterner view of Khan who was found guilty of concealing his identity to entrap the girl, repeatedly raping her, and threatening to circulate her photographs online. Labeling his actions as particularly grave, the court sentenced him to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000 under Section 6 of the Pocso Act. He was also handed sentences for identity concealment (Section 419) and violations of the IT Act. All sentences for both convicts will run concurrently.