Jagran correspondent, Bahraich. Avinash Pandey alias Simple, guilty of kidnapping innocent girls from their homes and raping them, was also sentenced to life imprisonment in the fourth and last case on Wednesday. A fine of Rs 2.40 lakh has also been imposed on the guilty youth.
Earlier, the serial rapist had been sentenced to life imprisonment on September 24, September 29 and October 8. A total of four cases were registered against him, out of which conviction has already been given in three. On Wednesday, Special Additional Sessions Judge POCSO Act Arvind Kumar Gautam heard the case.
On behalf of the prosecution, special district government advocate Sant Pratap Singh and special public prosecutor Santosh Kumar Singh argued the case. He said that the court has also convicted the accused, who had kidnapped and raped girls from half a dozen villages of Sujauli area, in the fourth case.
The youth kidnapped more than six girls living in a forest area. Police investigation and statements of the girls revealed that they were tortured and raped. A Scheduled Caste woman resident of a village in Sujauli area lodged a complaint in the police station saying that her house is made of thatch.
On the night of 2nd/3rd July, she was sleeping with her children on cots in the courtyard of the house after having dinner. When he woke up around 3:30 in the night, he saw that his five-year-old daughter was not in bed. Despite a lot of searching, she could not be found. The police registered a case in the matter and started investigation.
After this, the accused involved in the incident was searched on the basis of the tattoo on his hand. In this case, the police arrested Avinash alias Simple Pandey and sent him to jail and after completing the investigation, filed charge sheets against him in four different cases.
After completing the trial of the case, the court convicted the accused in the fourth case also and sentenced him to life imprisonment. A fine of Rs 2 lakh 40 thousand was also imposed on him.
If he does not pay the fine, he will have to remain in jail for an additional year. A criminal warrant has been prepared for the accused and he has been sent to jail to face punishment.
Court recommended compensation amount to the victim
Special Additional Sessions Judge POCSO Act Arvind Kumar Gautam has recommended that the victim be given compensation as per rules, considering her age and the nature of the crime.
A copy of the order has been sent to the Secretary, Legal Services Authority, Bahraich to provide compensation amount to the victim under the provisions of the Indian Civil Defense Code 2023.