Bizman gets 10-yr jail term for sexually assaulting schoolgirl

NOIDA: A local court has sentenced a Noida-based businessman to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by a local court here for kidnapping and sexually assaulting his minor neighbour three years ago.

Vikas Nagar, Additional Sessions Judge-Special Judge, POCSO Act (First), Gautam Buddh Nagar also slapped a penalty of Rs 30,000 on the convict Prashant Kumar, who owned a garment shop.

The minor victim, then aged 14, was allegedly enticed away by Kumar in April 2021 after which her father approached the local Expressway Police Station to lodge a complaint, leading to the FIR and the arresting of the accused. The court convicted Kumar under IPC Section 366 (kidnapping or abducting a female to compel her for marriage or for illicit intercourse), and Section 4 (penetrative sexual assault on a child) of the POCSO Act, according to the order issued Saturday.

Advocate Dharmendra Pal Singh argued for minimal punishment for Kumar, citing his sole role as a family breadwinner. Special Public Prosecutor Jai Prakash Bhati contended that Kumar’s offense was severe and deserved no leniency. Judge Nagar convicted Kumar under IPC Section 366 and Section 4 POCSO Act, sentencing him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.