CHENNAI: A 24-year-old youth has been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by a special POCSO court for raping a 16-year-old girl under the pretext of love, according to a Daily Thanthi report.
The conviction was secured after a DNA paternity test conclusively proved that the accused was the biological father of the child born to the victim.
The convict, identified as Karuna alias Karunakaran (24), resides in the Madipakkam area near Chennai. According to police records, Karunakaran developed an acquaintance with the 16-year-old girl from the same neighborhood and sexually assaulted her multiple times under the guise of a romantic relationship.
The minor subsequently became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. Following the childbirth, when the victim confronted Karunakaran and requested him to marry her, he abandoned her, falsely claiming that the child was not his and refusing the marriage proposal.
Traumatized by the betrayal, the victim lodged a formal complaint at the Madipakkam All Women Police Station. The police registered a case and initiated a detailed investigation.
As a vital part of the evidentiary probe, investigators ordered a forensic DNA profiling test. The medical results categorically established that Karunakaran was indeed the biological father of the infant, leaving no room for ambiguity.
The trial was conducted at the Chengalpattu District POCSO Court. Upon completion of the final arguments, Sessions Judge Naseema Banu delivered the verdict, finding Karunakaran guilty of aggravated sexual assault.
The court sentenced Karunakaran to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000. Failure to pay the fine will attract an additional one year of imprisonment. Government Advocate Lakshmi argued the case effectively on behalf of the prosecution to secure the conviction.