The special court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) in Vizianagaram imposed 21 years of imprisonment on a 25-year-old private college lecturer under the POCSO act for sexually assaulting a minor girl.

On Tuesday, February 25, the special judge for the POCSO court Justice K Nagamani pronounced the judgement and also imposed a fine of Rs 4,000, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

According to public prosecutor Metta Khajanarao, Maroju Venkatesh of Pedamanapuram village under Dattirajeru mandal has been working as a lecturer in a private junior college at Gajapathinagaram.

He duped a minor girl, who was pursuing her intermediate studies in the same college, in the name of love and ran away with her promising a good life on June 29, 2023. Based on the minor girl's complaint, Manapuram police registered a missing case and launched the investigation.

Later, they traced the girl and detained the accused, Venkatesh. They altered the missing case as a sexual harassment case under the POCSO Act based on the complaint by the victim's girl.

Then Bobbili Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) P Srinivasarao took the case and filed the charge sheet within a short time with the necessary evidence, according to the report by The New Indian Express.

On Tuesday, the special POCSO court in Vizianagaram awarded 20 years of imprisonment to Venkatesh along with penalty of Rs 4000. Superintendent of Police (SP) Vakul Jindal appreciated the investigation team for filing the charge sheet and sending the accused to prison under conviction-based policing.