KOCHI: The Ernakulam POCSO Court sentenced Ernakulam native Safar Shah (29) to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh for kidnapping and killing a Plus Two student who became pregnant following sexual abuse. The case is that Safar Shah had abducted the girl to Valpara in Tamil Nadu and stabbed her to death after she withdrew from the relationship with him.

Under the POCSO Act, the youth was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The judge also sentenced Safar to undergo a term sentence of five years for kidnapping, life imprisonment for murder and rigorous imprisonment for five years for destroying evidence. The court ordered that the sentences for kidnapping and destroying evidence shall run concurrently. It was Ernakulam POCSO Court judge K Soman who pronounced the sentence.

The accused, who was in a relationship with the 17-year-old girl from Thuravoor, had sexually abused her several times from August 16, 2019. The accused, who later went to the Gulf, came back on the insistence of the girl and took up a job as a driver in Kochi. Meanwhile, the girl, who became pregnant, showed no interest in continuing the relationship with the accused. She even started preparations to raise the baby alone. According to the prosecution, this caused animosity in Safar's mind and led to the murder.