Surat: A special court in Vapi on Thursday sentenced a 26-year-old man to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping a 14-year-old girl and blackmailing her with photographs and videos.Special Pocso Judge H N Vakil convicted Rajkumar alias Chhotu Singh, a resident of Haryana and originally from Pakdi village in Ballia district of UP. The court also directed that the survivor’s family be paid Rs 4 lakh as compensation.The prosecution established that the offences occurred over an extended period between Jan 2020 and June 27, 2021. The accused lured the minor to his room in a village near Vapi and made her drink lassi laced with sleeping pills before sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious.The accused recorded compromising photographs and videos of the survivor and later used them to threaten her. Investigators found that he blackmailed the minor by threatening to circulate the videos and images and raped her multiple times.Police registered an FIR on Aug 15, 2021, and arrested the accused on Aug 23. After examining the evidence and hearing arguments, the court held him guilty of aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the Pocso Act and rape under the IPC.
