Raj Sadosh/Abohar.
Judge Yogesh Joshi of the Special POCSO Court (No. 1) in Sriganganagar has sentenced a young man from Abohar to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 after finding the charges of luring a schoolgirl away and raping her to be proven. He will have to serve an additional term of imprisonment if the fine is not paid.
Special Public Prosecutor Advocate Manohar Lal Panwar said that on September 10, 2025, a woman filed a report at the Police Station accusing a young man named Pankaj of luring her daughter away from school during the lunch break.
The police registered a case of abduction and initiated an investigation. The cops recovered the schoolgirl from Killianwali village near Abohar on September 16 and apprehended Pankaj. A medical examination confirmed that the girl had been raped; consequently, sections of the POCSO Act were added to the case. The investigation revealed that Pankaj (25)—a resident of the Panchayat Dharamshala area in Arya Nagar, Abohar—had rented a room for eight months in the same house where the complainant and her three children resided.
Pankaj seized an opportunity one day in June 2025 to force sexual relations with the girl. He warned her not to disclose the incident to anyone. Subsequently, he engaged in sexual relations with her twice more there. Meanwhile, the girl’s family grew suspicious and asked Pankaj to vacate the room.
On September 10, Pankaj went to the school during the lunch break, took the girl away, and disappeared. He took her from Sriganganagar to Hanumangarh and then to Abohar. Subsequently, he took her to the nearby village of Killianwali and repeatedly engaged in sexual relations with her.
Special Public Prosecutor Manohar Lal Panwar said that the police completed the investigation and filed a charge sheet against the accused, Pankaj, in court under various sections of the POCSO Act.
The learned judge convicted Pankaj today, sentencing him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposing a total fine of Rs 35,000. Orders were issued for the fine amount to be paid to the victim as compensation upon its deposit. Additionally, an order was passed to award Rs 4 lakh to the victim as recommended compensation. The accused, Pankaj, had been in judicial custody since his arrest.
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