Chandigarh, April 8 -- A local court has sentenced a 22-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a minor in a Protection of Children from Sexual offences (POCSO) case registered on January 4 2024. The case was registered at Sector 39 police station based on a complaint filed by a minor girl. She claimed that she met the accused in February 2021 near a school in Sector 56. The accused allegedly took her mobile phone and demanded to visit his house in exchange for its return. When she went there, he allegedly raped her and threatened to kill her family members if she reported the incident. Further, he allegedly threatened to defame her by uploading obscene photographs on social media. The victim attempted suicide due to this but was rescued by her mother. A case was registered under Sections 376(2)(n) (committing rape repeatedly on the same woman), 376(3) (raping a woman under 16 years of age) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act and Sections 69-B (2) and 4 of the Information Technology (IT) Act. After the accused pleaded innocence and opted for trial, the court observed that the prosecution had established his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. He was convicted and sentenced under Section 6 of the POCSO Act....