A local court in Surat sentenced a 27-year-old labourer to life imprisonment till his last breath after convicting him of raping a 4-year-old girl in February 2024.
The accused, Ankit Gautam, abducted the girl near her home while she was playing and lured her with chocolate in February 2024. He took her to a deserted place in the Chowk Bazaar police station area and raped her.
After the incident, Gautam went to his workplace as if nothing happened. A woman found the girl near the place of the incident in an injured condition, and she informed the police.
The police traced the accused and arrested him at his workplace based on human and technical surveillance.
Government pleader Vishal Faldu demanded the maximum punishment for the accused. Special POCSO judge HM Vyas sentenced him to a life term till his last breath, looking at the brutality of the crime.
The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 and asked the district legal aid authority to pay Rs 10.5 lakh to the victim’s family.
