Kollam (Kerala), February 18 An accused in a POCSO case escaped from the court premises just minutes before he was sentenced to a cumulative 23 years for abducting a minor girl from Assam and sexually assaulting her, police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred at the Fast Track Special Court complex in Karunagappally here on Tuesday, they said.
Police said that 28-year-old Sirajul Haque, a native of Assam, was out on bail and not in custody.
He had arrived at court in the morning as the judgment was to be pronounced in his case.
The public prosecutor in the case, Premchandran N C, said that after the court pronounced Haque guilty of abducting the girl and sexually assaulting her two years ago, he was given time to consult with his lawyer before being heard on the issue of sentencing.
However, before the defence lawyer could speak with Haque outside the court, he slipped away, the prosecutor said.
When the case was called again and the accused was nowhere to be found, police personnel at the court immediately began a search for him, but he could not be found, the prosecutor said.
He said that the court has issued a warrant for taking Haque into custody.
Haque was on Tuesday sentenced to a cumulative of 23 years imprisonment under provisions of the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
As the maximum punishment given to him is 20 years under the POCSO Act, he will serve that period in jail, the prosecutor said.
