Accused remanded

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jan 20 : The Special Court POCSO Imphal West has on Monday remanded a 23-year-old man to judicial custody for alleged sexual assault and abduction of a minor girl.
The Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for the State informed the Court that the case was initiated after the father of the victim lodged a complaint.
What the Prosecutor  says
According to the father, his daughter left their house around 2 pm on January 7 and did not return.
After a prolonged search, it was discovered that the accused, a 23-year-old divorced man with a son, had taken the minor girl and hidden her in an unknown location.
Despite extensive efforts to find her, her whereabouts remained unknown until the authorities intervened. On January 11, Singjamei police rescued the minor victim and arrested the accused from Salungpham under Heirok police station in Thoubal district.
During questioning, the victim revealed that she was sexually assaulted by the accused at multiple locations.
The accused also admitted that he had sexually assaulted the victim at different places. The SPP further informed the Court that during the police custody period, the investigation team visited four different locations where the assaults took place.
In his confession, the accused revealed that he is a married man with a 3-year-old son.
He also disclosed that he had been married twice before the current incident, but both of his previous wives returned to their respective homes in 2023 and 2024.
The accused further explained that in mid-December last year, he encountered the victim and her grandmother while they were collecting sand from a river.
The accused offered to help carry the sand and delivered it to their house, as the victim's grandmother was unable to carry it herself.
It was on this occasion that the accused introduced himself to the family and took the phone number of the victim's grandmother.
The accused repeatedly asked the minor victim to elope with him, but she refused each time.
Despite her rejections, the accused continued pressuring her.
On January 7, he abducted the victim from near their locality and took her to several different locations over the following days. During this period, he sexually assaulted her without her consent.
The Prosecutor argued that, given the gravity of the accused's actions, he should be kept in judicial custody.
The SPP emphasized that the accused's behaviour has caused significant harm to the victim.
The Court, after hearing the submission of the  SPP and on perusal of the case record remanded the accused to judicial custody till February 2 for  smooth investigation of the case.