A 40-year old person P. Jayaraj has been slapped with seven-year rigorous imprisonment by a local court here on Wednesday, holding him guilty of raping a minor a year ago.
The 15-year-old victim hailing from Warangal district came to Hyderabad in search of livelihood on April 3 last year by train. Her mother died a few years ago while father began living separately after marrying another woman. On seeing the teenager at a platform after she arrived at Secunderabad railway station in the night, the accused approached her posing as railway policeman.
“He asked her about the train ticket and when she showed it, Jayaraj tore it off and asked her to follow him,” the Secunderabad railway Inspector N. Ashok Kumar, who investigated the case, said. He took her to a secluded place at the railway yard in Bhoiguda and violated her.
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The video footage recorded by the secret cameras at the railway station showing the accused bringing her back to the railway station after the sexual assault became crucial evidence. The investigators made a CD of the video footage and presented it in the court. Jayaraj was a railway dossier criminal and accused of involvement in several criminal cases. He used to extort money from railway passengers at railway stations claiming himself as railway or police officer. The Fifth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge court delivered the verdict on Wednesday.
Public prosecutor Padmavathi presented the prosecution arguments.