Rajkot: A Special Pocso court in Amreli sentenced a 26-year-old suspended police constable, Ravirajsinh Chauhan, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor girl while he was posted at Babra police station. Special Pocso judge Purvi Dave also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 and directed the state to pay Rs 4 lakh as compensation to the survivor.The case came to light on May 29, 2025, when the 14-year-old girl lodged a complaint alleging that Chauhan had repeatedly threatened her and her widowed mother, who lived in the same locality. He had allegedly pressured her into communicating with him through Snapchat and threatened to harass her mother if she refused to comply.According to the prosecution, Chauhan intercepted the girl while she was going to visit a relative, forced her to accompany him on his motorcycle and took her to an isolated shed behind Kamalsinh High School, where he sexually assaulted her. The girl also disclosed an earlier incident, about four months before the complaint, when the accused allegedly took her to an isolated location behind Bapa Sitaram ni Madhi and sexually assaulted her.The prosecution presented medical evidence, the survivor’s statements recorded before the court, call detail records, CCTV footage and digital evidence linked to Snapchat. The investigating team also sent samples to the forensic science laboratory in Junagadh.Chauhan’s lawyers argued that the accused, being a govt employee, had been falsely implicated. They questioned inconsistencies in the survivor’s statements, particularly regarding the date of the incident and whether she had been forcibly taken away. They also disputed the Snapchat allegations and argued that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt. Citing a Supreme Court judgment in Kishan Kumar Malik v State of Haryana, the defence sought his acquittal.However, the court convicted Chauhan and awarded him the sentence.Investigating officer J R Sarvaiya, who was then posted as PI of the women’s police station, told TOI that the investigation was handed over to him after the case was registered at Babra police station. Police completed the investigation and submitted the case before the court within 60 days. He said medical examination, digital evidence collection, CCTV verification and forensic analysis were among the crucial steps taken during the investigation.
