Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Children’s Court convicted Rajesh Kumar Swami, resident of Salvador do Mundo, for sexually abusing and raping a minor girl in 2014.
The Court sentenced him to seven years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5000. The prosecution examined 18 witnesses in support of the case and found Swami punishable under under Section 376 of IPC for raping the minor girl and under Section 4 of POSCO Act, 2012 for abusing her.
He was arrested on March 21, 2014 and was in judicial lockup till the sentence was pronounced by the court.
In February 2014 Mapusa Police had booked five persons for kidnapping a minor girl and pushing her into prostitution. All the accused were charged under Sections 363, 372 & 373 read with Section 34 of IPC and Section 8 (1A) and 2 (m)(i), punishable under Section 8 (2) of Goa Children’s Act, 2003.
Except for a lady accused, Police had also charged four others under Section 2(y) (ii), punishable under Section 8(2) of the Goa Children’s Act, 2003, under Section 4 & 8 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, 2012 and under Section 354 read with Section 34 and under Section 376 of IPC.
Acquitting the other four accused, Goa Children’s Court President Vandana Tendulkar sentenced Swami to imprisonment. The case was represented by Public Prosecutor K Sanszgiry on behalf of the State.
