Bihar man sentenced to eight years for kidnapping, raping minor in Srinagar

SRINAGAR — A fast-track court in Srinagar on Wednesday handed down an eight-year rigorous imprisonment term and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on a resident of Bihar in connection with the kidnapping and rape of a 15-year-old girl in Habba Kadal area of Srinagar back in 2016.

Renu Dogra Gupta, 2nd Additional Sessions Judge overseeing cases of sexual assault, pronounced the sentence for the convict, Santosh Kumar Paswan, son of Saider Paswan, hailing from Lalpora Bhim Nagar in Bihar. The judgment was delivered four days after Paswan’s conviction.

The court found Paswan guilty under Section 363 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) pertaining to kidnapping. It ruled that both sentences would run concurrently and ordered that the time already served by Paswan would be deducted from the total sentence.

Prosecution in the case was represented by APP Farooq Ahmad Malik.

Paswan was charged by the police for the abduction and sexual assault of the minor girl (identity withheld) in 2016.

According to the prosecution, on September 1, 2016, the girl’s father filed a complaint at Kralkhud Police Station, alleging that Paswan, who was working as a mason at their house, had frequently visited their residence.

The complainant stated that his daughter had gone missing from their home and suspected that she had been lured away. During the subsequent search, the girl and the kidnapper were intercepted while riding a motorcycle near Humhama, heading suspiciously towards the airport, the prosecution detailed.

Following their apprehension, the police seized the motorcycle and air tickets from Srinagar to Delhi belonging to the accused and the victim, the prosecution added.

Medical examination of the victim revealed the presence of a fetus approximately 10 weeks and 6 days old, indicating pregnancy.

The prosecution further revealed that the accused had exploited the minor’s vulnerability and immaturity by establishing illegal relations with her after frequent visits to her home.