"pocso-act"

In India where women’s safety has poor record, acquittals based on technical definition will do great harm to the cause of justice

The woman, who was arrested under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act was granted bail by the Kerala High court.

A 13-year-old girl was raped and later buried in Sarni. As per the investigation, we found out that the girl was raped by her neighbour. A case has been registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC)

The girl was lured and abducted from a market place here by a person known to her on January 4. She was taken to a secluded spot where the person and six others allegedly raped her and later released on January 5, the police official said.

The incident took place on Saturday when the 38-year- old accused barged into the victim's hut at a village in Talasari taluka while she was sleeping with her mother.

They tried to settle the matter with the parents of the victims on behalf of the accused

According to the police, the deceased was identified as Mohammad Kaif of Nuh district in Haryana.

The complainant alleged that the teacher also threatened her of dire consequences if she reported the matter to police.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the accused, who is a daily wager and uncle of the victim

The FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act.

The victim had told her mother about the ordeal earlier but the latter did not pursue it after the father denied the charge.

Both the accused, the victim's father (51), who worked as a school teacher, and her 21-year-old boyfriend, were arrested in the wee hours of Monday.

Friends, family friends, and neighbors constitute 99.7% of those involved in child abuse cases in Telangana based on 2019 Crime in India statistics. Majority of POCSO offenders are known to victims, raising concerns about child safety even within familiar circles.