Bizman sentenced to ten years in prison for sexually abusing a schoolgirl

NOIDA: A local court has sentenced a Noida-based businessman to ten years in prison for kidnapping and sexually abusing his underage neighbour three years ago.

Vikas Nagar, Additional Sessions Judge and Special Judge, POCSO Act (First), Gautam Buddh Nagar, also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on convict Prashant Kumar, who owned a garment shop.

The minor victim, then 14 years old, was allegedly lured away by Kumar in April 2021, following which her father approached the local Expressway police station to file a complaint, which led to the FIR and the arrest of the accused. The court convicted Kumar under Section 366 of the IPC (abduction or abduction of a woman with intent to compel her to marriage or illicit sexual intercourse) and Section 4 (penetrative sexual abuse of a child) of the POCSO Act, according to the order passed on Saturday.

Lawyer Dharmendra Pal Singh pleaded for a minimal sentence for Kumar as he was the sole breadwinner of the family. Special Public Prosecutor Jai Prakash Bhati claimed that Kumar’s offence was serious and did not deserve any leniency. Justice Nagar sentenced Kumar to 10 years’ imprisonment under IPC Section 366 and POCSO Act Section 4.