Noida youth gets 20-year jail term for raping teenager, slapped with Rs 20,000 fine

According to officials, the FIR was first lodged as a case of kidnapping and other charges against the 20-year-old accused, including the stringent POCSO Act, were added later upon investigation.

Noida: A 20-year-old man was sentenced to a 20-year jail term by a court in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday for kidnapping and raping a teenage girl, officials said. The court also slapped the convict with a penalty of Rs 20,000 and ordered another six months in jail in case of non-remittance of the fine, the officials said.

"An FIR was lodged at the Sector 49 Police Station of Noida against the man who was booked under Indian Penal Code sections 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping with intent to compel for marriage) and 376 (rape)," a police spokesperson said. "The accused was also booked under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act," he said.

The case was being heard by the special POCSO court in Gautam Buddh Nagar in which arguments were made by prosecuting officer Neetu Bishnoi, the official said. "Justice Niranjan Kumar ordered 20-year jail term for the accused along with fine of Rs 20,000. He also ordered for extra six-month jail term if the fine is not paid," the spokesperson said.

According to officials, the FIR was first lodged as a case of kidnapping and other charges, including the stringent POCSO Act, were added later upon investigation.

So far, 67 people accused of sexual crimes against women and girls here have been convicted by the court or expelled from the district as part of the 'Mission Shakti' initiative of the Uttar Pradesh government, police said.