pc: hindustantimes

Five accused in the gangrape of a 16-year-old girl in Assam's Udalguri district were sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday. The incident took place in June last year and a special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court in the district delivered the verdict within seven months.

According to the police, a minor girl was forcibly abducted and raped by five men at the Dhunsuri tea estate in Udalguri on June 22 last year. The family members lodged a complaint at the Mazbat police station and a case was registered under several sections of the POCSO Act.

Udalguri Superintendent of Police (SP) Pushkin Jain said they completed the investigation in a fast-track manner and the chargesheet was submitted within 90 days.

“We acted immediately after receiving the complaint and arrested five accused from Udalguri and neighbouring Darang district. Without losing time, we completed the investigation and submitted a chargesheet within three months,” he told HT on Monday.

He said the special POCSO court also worked swiftly and the verdict came within seven months. "All have been sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 20,000 each," he said.