POCSO Case Accused Sentenced to 20 Years of Rigorous Imprisonment For Abducting and Sexually Assaulting Minor Girl

A special POCSO court in Ahmedabad has sentenced Haresh Thakor to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for abducting and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, closing a high-profile case that shocked the city's Sardarnagar locality.

Special POCSO Judge H.N. Desai handed down the sentence after evaluating robust evidence presented by Public Prosecutor Dilipsinh Thakor, which included testimonies from 10 key witnesses and 24 documentary exhibits. Alongside the rigorous prison term, the court ordered the legal services authority to pay 400,000 rupees in compensation to the survivor.

The Abduction and Journey to Lunawada

The sequence of events unfolded on the morning of 29 March 2026, when the accused, Haresh Thakor, arrived outside the minor victim's residence in a car accompanied by his associate, Bharat. Under the pretext of marriage, Thakor lured the 15-year-old girl away from her home.

The pair travelled from the Geetanagar bus stand to Lunawada, where Thakor forced the survivor to stay in an isolated agricultural field. During their time at the Lunawada hideout, Thakor subjected the minor to repeated sexual assault against her will.

Abandonment at Godhra Station and Police Intervention

The ordeal took a sharp turn when the accused attempted to relocate the victim towards Goa. Thakor brought the teenager to the Godhra railway station under the guise of catching a train, only to abandon her on the platform after leaving to fetch drinking water.

Left stranded and alone, the minor managed to contact her father by phone from Godhra. The alarmed family immediately sought assistance from the Sardarnagar police station, successfully tracing and rescuing the teenager before formally registering criminal charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.