18-year-old youth gets 30 years in jail for raping minor

The Thiruvananthapuram Principal POCSO Court has sentenced an 18-year-old youth to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 13-year-old girl.

POCSO court judge M.P. Shibu found Afzal of Perayam, Kollam, guilty of the crime and sent him to prison.

The incident took place in 2024. Afzal met the minor girl through Instagram and having got hold of the location of her house, he forcibly entered it when only the minor and her eight-year-old younger sister were present. He then brutally attacked and raped the older of the two sisters. Though the younger girl cried out in alarm, it went unnoticed.

The accused was arrested immediately after the incident was reported and following opposition from the prosecution, he was denied bail. The trial was completed in a year. The court accepted the prosecution’s argument that since Afzal had raped a girl who was only 13, he did not deserve any mercy.

The prosecution examined 28 witnesses and produced 71 documents and 16 exhibits. Public prosecutor Kattayikonam J.K. Ajithprasad and lawyer Bindu V. C. appeared for the prosecution.