Couple shelter youth eloping with minor, get 20 yrs

Ahmedabad: A young couple from Bharuch district have been awarded 20 years in prison by a special court in Mehsana for sheltering a youth who eloped with a minor girl. The sentence is the same as awarded to the principal accused, a 20-year-old from Mehsana, who eloped with a 16-year-old and was charged with kidnapping a minor and rape under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.The couple were convicted last week for abetment. They had pleaded for leniency citing family responsibilities, including young children — one under three years of age and the other just six months old — and a widowed mother to look after.
According to case details, a 20-year-old youth from Bharuch's Vagra taluka eloped with a 16-year-old girl from a village in Mehsana's Vijapur taluka on July 30, 2025. Under the youth's influence, the teen left her home voluntarily and joined him at a Bharuch bus stop, from where he took her to Vagra. The couple, a 28-year old man and his 22-year-old wife, provided him shelter in their house.The minor's father, who works in Surat's cloth market, registered a complaint with Vijapur police the same day. A week later, the eloped couple were traced. The youth was arrested and charged under BNS and Pocso Act. The couple was also charged with abetting the crime.After examining 11 witnesses, the prosecution established the youth's guilt. Although the victim asserted that she had left her house voluntarily, her consent was immaterial under Pocso Act's provisions. The court awarded a 20-year jail term to Bhavesh, and the same number of years in prison to the couple.Special Judge M F Khatri also ordered the govt to pay Rs 3 lakh compensation to the victim so that "she can move ahead with her regular life in the future"