A POCSO court in Vadodara sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl, a week after he escaped from police custody. The assault occurred in October 2020 when the victim stepped out to fill water. He was recaptured two days later in Dhule.
A special POCSO court in Vadodara convicted a man on Wednesday in a 2020 case, sentencing him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000. The court relied on witness statements, medical and forensic evidence presented by the prosecution, deeming it "credible evidence" that "proved its case beyond reasonable doubt".
The accused was an undertrial lodged in Vadodara Central Jail. On March 30, he fled police custody while being escorted to court, using the excuse of needing the toilet. Vadodara Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) apprehended him in Dhule on April 1.
In a release, Vadodara city police described the conviction as the result of a "fruitful and diligent investigation" by the probing inspector. The force highlighted its drive to improve conviction rates in crime cases.
