Youth gets 20 years RI in POCSO case in Chittoor

The Special POCSO Court in Chittoor on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) sentenced a youth, Kalyan of Punganur, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of ₹6,500 for sexually assaulting a minor girl.

According to the Punganur police, the accused, a temple priest from Punganur, befriended a 14-year-old girl and lured her with a promise of marriage, and sexually assaulted her. On April 18, 2019, he took her to Kadaranapura village in Hosakote taluk of Karnataka, and rented a portion, claiming they were husband and wife. The youth continued to exploit her until April 2025.

After the girl went missing, her parents lodged a complaint with the Punganur Urban Police, who initially registered a missing persons case. After learning of the missing persons complaint filed by her parents, the girl reached home and narrated the ordeal, following which the case was converted under relevant sections of the POCSO Act.