Visakhapatnam: 66-year-old man sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for raping minor

A 66-year-old man from Visakhapatnam was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on Monday under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) for raping a minor.

Special Judge K Rama Srinivas also imposed a fine of Rs. 200 and ordered a compensation of Rs. 4 lakhs. Identified as Sarika Venkata Ramana, also called the Chocolate Man, the accused was a retired APSRTC employee and a resident of HB Colony.

The accused had lured the seven-year-old, who was playing on the streets after school in the name of chocolates, to his house. He raped the minor on 15 December 2020. The minor’s mother lodged a complaint at the Arilova Police Station the same evening. The Visakhapatnam Police registered cases under relevant sections of the IPC and POCSO Act to convict the 66-year-old man for raping the minor. The Disha Police fast-tracked the investigation under ACP G Prem Kajal and Police Commissioner Ch Srikanth.

The police collected sufficient evidence and produced the accused in court. Special Public Prosecutor Karanam Krishna presented the case at the court and proved the accused guilty.

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This was the second such case in the last two months. The POCSO court had sentenced a 73-year-old man for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in October.

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