A Special Court for cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Nadapuram in Kozhikode district on Tuesday sentenced the four accused in the gang rape of a minor girl at the Janakikkad ecotourism spot in 2021.
The accused are Sayooj Thekkeparambath, 24, Shibu Parachalil, 32, Rahul Thaminjal, 22, and Akshay Paloli, 22, who are natives of Maruthonkara. While Shibu was sentenced to 30 years in prison, the others were given life imprisonment. The incident occurred on October 3, 2021.
According to the police, the girl was taken to the ecotourism spot in the pretext of a tour and given a soft drink laced with a sedative. She was later raped by the accused. A complaint was filed after the girl informed her parents about the incident. Subsequently, it was revealed that she was sexually assaulted earlier as well. It was Sayooj who pretended to be in love with her. The police had registered three cases in connection with the incident. M. Shuhaib, the POCSO court judge, took into view the circumstantial evidence as well as the scientific evidence produced by the police.
