Daijiworld Media Network - Kadaba
Kadaba, Oct 29: The 7th Additional District and Sessions Court in Mangaluru (sitting in Puttur) has sentenced a 34-year-old rowdy sheeter to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl.
The convict has been identified as Saddam (34), a resident of Noojibalthila in Kadaba.
According to the prosecution, the accused entered the minor girl's house and sexually assaulted her against her will. Following the incident, a case was registered at the Kadaba police station under sections 376(2)(n), 376(3), and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with sections 5(j)(ii)(l) and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The then Uppinangady circle inspector Nagesh K conducted a thorough investigation and submitted the charge sheet to the court.
After examining the evidence, judge Sumangala Chakalabbi pronounced the accused guilty. Under sections 5(l) and 5(j)(ii) read with section 6 of the POCSO Act, Saddam was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and slapped with a fine of Rs 50,000. Failing to pay the fine will result in an additional one year of rigorous imprisonment.
Additionally, under section 506 of the IPC, he was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 25,000, with a default sentence of an additional one year of rigorous imprisonment. The court ordered that both sentences will run concurrently.
Saddam is a known rowdy sheeter at the Kadaba police station, with a history of criminal activities. Multiple cases were previously registered against him at the Kadaba police station (in 2011, 2020, and 2021) and the Uppinangady police station (in 2022).
Public prosecutor Pushparaj Adanthaya successfully argued the case on behalf of the state.