Youth sentenced to 5-yr imprisonment for sexually harassing 10-yr-old

Bengaluru: A special fast-track court for the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act-2012 in the city recently found a 28-year-old youth guilty of sexually harassing a 10-year-old girl after barging into her flat in an apartment in April 2022. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and fined Rs 37,000.Convict Ajoy Kuvar of NS Palya in BTM Layout II Stage was present in court, when special judge NM Ramesh passed the orders. Kuvar, who was arrested soon after the incident, is in the judicial custody at Bengaluru central prison. He worked as an assistant with a lathe machine unit.Public prosecutor P Krishnaveni told TOI that the girl's father filed the complaint against the accused, who barged into the flat on the fourth floor of an apartment around 2:30 am on April 27, 2022. "The 10-year-old girl was asleep in her room, when Kuvar entered through the open door of the balcony. First, he went to the kitchen and collected a vegetable cutter. Holding it, he came near the minor girl and touched her inappropriately," Krishnaveni explained.The girl woke up and Kuvar threatened her with the cutter, saying, "Hilna mat varna maar daalunga (Don't move; or else, I will kill you)." Then, he tried to remove her clothes. "The girl requested him to let her go to the bathroom, but he threatened her again," she said.Meanwhile, he tried to hug the girl, who using all her strength, punched his face. "She then ran to the adjacent room and woke her father. By then, Kuvar jumped down from the balcony and ran away," Krishnaveni said.The next day, the girl's father lodged a complaint with Mico Layout police, and then police inspector RS Choudhari, after scanning CCTV footage, traced Kuvar to a private hospital and arrested him there. "While jumping from the balcony and scaling the compound, Kuvar had injured his back and was admitted to the hospital. After treatment, he was shifted to the prison," a senior police officer said.
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