PATHANAMTHITTA: A court has sentenced a man to rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1.60 lakhs for sexually abusing his 7-year-old daughter. The court sentenced the accused, a native of Prakkanam in Pathanamthitta, to a cumulative of 66 years for various offenses under the POCSO Act and Section 75 under the Juvenile Justice Act. It was Pathanamthitta Principal POCSO Court judge Jayakumar John who issued the sentence. The accused will have to spend an additional three years in prison if he fails to pay the fine.

The incident took place in 2021. The accused used to sexually abuse his daughter after taking her to the kitchen after everyone else sleeps in the night. Upon learning about it, the girl's mother told this to her teachers at school. The teachers then informed the police after collecting more information from the child. Inspectors M Rajesh and Ayoob Khan conducted the investigation into the case that was registered by the Elavumthitta police. The girl's mother had turned hostile during the trial of the case.