The judge awarded seven years rigorous imprisonment to the man. (Representational)
A court has sentenced a 28-year-old man to seven years rigorous imprisonment for abducting and sexually assaulting a minor girl in Belagavi in 2014.
Additional district and sessions court judge B R Pallavi upheld the arguments of special public prosecutor on Wednesday and convicted Sangamaesh Koppad of Bagalkote district.
The judge awarded seven years rigorous imprisonment (RI) for rape under IPC Section 376, and five years RI for kidnapping under IPC Section 366 besides imposing a penalty of Rs 12,000 under Section 4 of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The punishments would run concurrently.
Of the penalty amount, Rs 10,000 has to be provided as compensation to the minor girl, the judge said, adding the victim is also eligible to get compensation from the district legal services authority.
According to prosecution, Koppad was a daily wage labourer working in Suratkal, where he got in touch with the victim, who was employed in a garment shop.
After befriending the girl, he took her to Belagavi in 2014 and 'sexually assaulted' her in a hotel by promising to marry her.
After a missing complaint was filed by the girl's mother, police traced both of them and arrested Koppad.