Bokaro POCSO Court: Man Gets 25 Years for Minor's Rape, DNA Evidence Crucial

Bokaro: A special POCSO court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a minor girl, with DNA profiling emerging as the strongest piece of evidence that sealed his conviction.

Additional district and sessions judge-III of special POCSO court Devesh Kumar Tripathi convicted Ramprasad Tuddu (22) under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and awarded 25 years of RI and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000. The court said failure to pay the fine would lead to an additional one-year simple imprisonment.

According to special public prosecutor (SSP), the incident took place on Jan 11, 2025. In the FIR lodged by the girl’s father, it was alleged that the 15-year-old had gone to a nearby field for defecation in the evening when the accused allegedly abducted her.

The accused reportedly dragged the teenager to an isolated area near an anganwadi centre and raped her. When the girl did not return for a long time, family members began searching for her. Sensing people approaching, the accused allegedly fled the spot, leaving her behind.

The girl later reached home and narrated the ordeal to her family, following which an FIR was registered.

The SPP said “During the trial, the prosecution examined 12 witnesses, including the girl, her father and the investigating officer. The turning point in the case was the forensic evidence submitted by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Ranchi. The DNA profiling report conclusively matched the accused, leaving little room for doubt during the proceedings. The court described the forensic findings as crucial scientific evidence while pronouncing the judgement.”