Overview
- A Bahraich POCSO court convicted Avinash Pandey, 30, in four cases involving the kidnapping and sexual assault of girls aged 5 to 8 and ordered life imprisonment in each case.
- Police tied together incidents on June 15, June 25, June 28, and the night of July 2–3 using victim descriptions, identified the suspect by a tattoo, and recovered obscene photos and videos from his phone.
- The charge sheet was filed on August 11 under POCSO, BNS, and SC/ST provisions, and charges were framed on August 22, according to court records.
- Reports differ on the total fine imposed in the Bahraich sentencing, with PTI citing Rs 8 lakh and Hindustan Times reporting Rs 2.40 lakh.
- In separate actions across Uttar Pradesh, a Muzaffarnagar court issued a life term for a 2023 rape, a Ballia court gave 25 years in a 2021 case, a Sambhal court handed life terms for a 2018 gangrape-murder, and Ballia police arrested a fresh case suspect after an encounter.