46-yr-old New Town man gets life term for raping 8-yr-old
Times of India | 13 February 2025
Kolkata: a Barasat Pocso court on Wednesday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping an eight-year-old girl at New Town in 2019.
The accused, Pappu Banik (46), the victim's neighbour, had lured the girl into his house after sending his own daughter out to play on Oct 24, 2019. Following a complaint, police arrested Banik, leading to a prolonged trial. Banik was 40-year-old during the incident. The court found him guilty, sentencing him to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 50,000.
"The victim was of the same age as the daughter of Banik. The two little girls used to play together. In the evening of Oct 24, 2019, the victim was playing at Banik's house with his daughter. Banik sent his daughter out of the room and raped the minor girl. He also threatened the little girl to kill both the child and her mother if she revealed anything to anyone," an officer said.
The girl ran back home crying. Neighbours noticed her and asked what had happened, but she did not say anything. "However, when family members pressed her for answers, she narrated her ordeal," a relative of the victim said. On Tuesday, Judge Sushmita Mukherjee found Pappu Banik guilty. On Wednesday, the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment under IPC Section 376 and Section 6 of the Pocso Act.