On July 16, he went to another house terrace with the intention of recording a video. However, when residents noticed him, he fled from the spot, leaving his mobile behind.
(Representative image)
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Mangalore: The Additional District and Sessions Court (POCSO FTSC-1) Judge Vinay D has sentenced a man to five years of imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 15,000, for recording a video of a minor girl and a married woman bathing at home.
The convicted is Ramsheed, a resident of Thota Bengre. Ramsheed recorded the video on his mobile phone between July 5 and 7. On July 16, he went to another house terrace with the intention of recording a video. However, when residents noticed him, he fled from the spot, leaving his mobile behind. The residents seized the phone, identified him, and unlocked the device to find the videos. A complaint was filed against him at Panambur station on July 17.
The case was investigated by PSI Raghavendra from Panambur station, and PSI Shrikala completed the investigation and submitted the charge sheet to the court. Judge Vinay D, upon finding him guilty, sentenced him to three months' simple imprisonment under Section 329(3) of the BNS, one year's simple imprisonment under Section 329(4), and fined him Rs 5,000, with an additional two months' imprisonment for failing to pay fine. Under the POCSO Act, Section 14, he was sentenced to five years simple imprisonment and fined Rs 10,000, with an additional one-year imprisonment for failing to pay the fine. The judge also directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the victims.
Special Public Prosecutor Sahana Devi argued on behalf of the prosecution.
The verdict is announced within five months of filing the complaint. In fact, the mobile phone of the accused was sent to a forensic science laboratory, which confirmed that he recorded the video.
In the last six months, 14 similar POCSO cases have been brought to court in the district, which is concerning. To raise awareness about the consequences of youths filming obscene videos on mobile phones, the judge mentioned in the verdict that the District Legal Services Authority's member secretary should constitute a committee of six people from various fields at the taluk level to organise awareness programmes every six months.