Mangaluru: The Second Additional District and Sessions Court convicted a man with seven years rigorous imprisonment and slapped on him a penalty of Rs 12,500 on Wednesday, September 26, after finding him guilty of raping a minor girl.

The convict is Sangamesh Koppad (28), a resident of Hunagund Taluk in Bagalkot district. According to the chargesheet filed in the court, Sangamesh was working as a daily wager in Surathkal Police Station limits. He got in contact with the victim who was also a resident of Bagalkot district, working in a garment shop in Surathkal. After befriending her, he asked her to marry him. When she refused his demand, he abducted the victim from Surathkal and took her to Belagavi on March 12, 2014. He forced her to marry him at Savadatti Yellamma temple at Belagavi and raped her in a lodge. Following a missing complaint, filed by the victim’s mother, the then inspector of Surathkal Police Station Nataraj traced both and arrested Sangamesh. Later, a chargesheet was filed against the accused.

When the case came for hearing at the Second Additional District and Sessions Court, Judge Pallavi B R upheld the arguments of Special Public Prosecutor Venkatramana Swamy and convicted the accused with 7 years rigorous imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 5,000 under CRPC read with IPC Section 376 (Rape) and 7 years of imprisonment and Rs 5,000 penalty under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Section 4. Court also asked the accused to pay a penalty of Rs 2,500 under IPC section 366 (Abduction). However, both punishments will run concurrently. Of the penalty amount, Rs 10,000 should be provided to the victim. Meanwhile, the victim is eligible to get compensation from the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), the judge ruled.