THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A special fast-track court in Thiruvananthapuram has handed down a 13-year imprisonment to a man convicted of molesting his own niece by Judge R Rekha. The accused, identified as 24-year-old Unni from Pangodu has also been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 45,000 with an additional year of imprisonment if the fine is not paid.

The events unfolded back in 2017 when the victim was a fifth-grade student. On one occasion, at 5 pm the accused attempted to drag the young girl into a room but she managed to escape. The next incident occurred in October 2021 on a Sunday when Unni forcibly took the child into his house gagging her with a cloth and subjecting her to torture. The child fought back by kicking her assailant and making noise. Unni, in an attempt to silence her threatened her and fled the scene.

The child kept her suffering a secret fearing for her safety. It was only during a subsequent instance of harassment by the accused that she found the courage to disclose the incident to her mother. A comprehensive investigation was conducted by Sub-Inspector J. Ajayan from the Pangodu Police Station.

The prosecution of the case was handled by Special Public Prosecutor R S Vijay Mohan, advocates M Mubeena and R Y Akhilesh. 15 witnesses, 21 documents and six exhibits were provided as crucial evidence against the accused.