Two men convicted in separate Pocso cases

Kochi: Perumbavoor fast track Pocso court on Friday sentenced two men for assaulting minors in separate incidents. In the first case, Crystal Raj, 36, who assaulted a child after kidnapping her from her home in Aluva, was given four life sentences for the remainder of his life and an additional 35 years of imprisonment, and a fine of over Rs 20 lakh.The incident occurred on Sept 7, 2023, when the accused kidnapped the 8-year-old girl who was sleeping in the living room of the house with her brother. Raj, a resident of Chengal, Thiruvananthapuram, was arrested soon after the incident.The judgment was delivered by fast track judge V Sandeep Krishna. Advocate A Sindhu appeared for the prosecution. Sindhu said that the prosecution was able to prove all major charges against the accused, including abduction, assault, theft and grievous sexual assault.She added that the prosecution was able to prove that the assault was premeditated as witnesses confirmed seeing him in the area three days prior.Meanwhile, Najeer Miya, 55, from Bihar, who sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl, child of a migrant worker, after luring her away using a candy, was sentenced to 72 years rigorous imprisonment. The assault occurred in Jan 2025.