The Mahila Court in Tiruchi on Friday sentenced a 24-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping a minor girl, subjecting her to child marriage, and sexually assaulting her in 2020.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on the convict, identified as Kamal Susairaj of Keela Nagamangalam.
According to the prosecution, the then 16-year-old victim had left home on November 2, 2020, stating she was going to a friend’s house but failed to return. Her father later filed a complaint, alleging that the accused had taken her away, forcibly married her, and subjected her to sexual assault.
Based on the complaint, the Manikandam police registered a case under sections 366 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 9 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, and Sections 5(1) and 6(1) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The accused was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
