Ahmedabad court sentence 10-years-jail to man for assault, digital exploitation of 12-year-old boy

A special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court in Ahmedabad has convicted and sentenced a 24-year-old Sagar Shanabhai to 10-years-jail for the forcible sexual assault and subsequent digital exploitation of a 12-year-old boy.

The case dates back to April 11, 2019, when the accused lured the minor victim from a cricket field in Bareja to a secluded area. The accused Sagar forcibly assaulted the child while a juvenile accomplice recorded the act on a mobile phone.

The victim remained silent for eight days due to death threats issued by the accused. The crime came to light on April 19, 2019, after a local resident discovered the video circulating in the community and alerted the victim’s father.  

The prosecution, built an ironclad case relying on the consistent testimony of the child witness, independent village witnesses, and corroborative metadata from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

The court found the accused guilty under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 4 read with Section 7 of the POCSO Act, and Section 67B of the Information Technology Act. Because the offence occurred prior to the August 2019 POCSO amendments, pre-amendment sentencing guidelines.

The court ordered all sentences to run concurrently, effectively handing down a 10-year term. Separate juvenile proceedings have been initiated against the co-accused.

The court has also directed the District Legal Service Authority, Ahmedabad Rural, to award compensation of ₹5 lakh to the victim under Section 33(8) of the POCSO Act under the Gujarat Victim Compensation Scheme, 2019 within the period of 60 days.