Bokaro: A POCSO court on Monday sentenced two men to life imprisonment for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in 2023. The survivor later gave birth to a child.Special POCSO Judge Devesh Kumar Tripathi found the two accused guilty of rape. In addition to the life term, the court ordered a compensation of Rs 7 lakh to the survivor under Victim Compensation Scheme and POCSO rules.The special public prosecutor said, “The girl revealed that in August 2023, while looking for her younger brother, one of the accused took her to his house. The accused then gagged her, tied her hands, and subjected her to rape while showing obscene photos on a mobile phone. Later after coming to know about the incident, the second accused raped her.”The girl’s father alleged that when the girl’s health began to deteriorate during pregnancy, the first accused took her to a local pharmacy for “treatment” to hide the condition.The prosecuter said that the FIR also named the first accused’s wife, his brother and his wife for their alleged connivance. It was alleged that the women of the household monitored the girl’s movements, preventing her from leaving her home to ensure the pregnancy remained a secret. The girl went into labour on May 10, 2024. After the delivery, the child was reportedly abandoned in a shed before being rescued by a neighbour.
