Rajasthan man who 'treated illnesses with sorcery' gets life term for raping girl

     Kota, Oct 9 (PTI) A court in Baran district gave life sentence to a man for raping a girl while claiming to be a "sorcerer" who would treat her illness using black magic, a lawyer said on Wednesday.
     Special POCSO court judge Sonia Beniwal on Tuesday gave the order and slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Raghuveer. The rape happened in Kawai police station area in January 2022, special public prosecutor Hari Narayan Singh said.
     In her report, the minor said she was unwell and her parents took her to Raghuveer, who was known in the village for performing rituals that cure diseases.
     On her fourth visit to Raghuveer, he sent her father to a shop in the village to buy coconut, incense sticks etc. for a ritual. When he left, he took her into a room and sexually exploited and raped her, the public prosecutor said.
     When the father returned, Raghuveer threatened him with a knife and fled, the lawyer said.
     Based on the report, police registered a case under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against Raghuveer and began investigation, he further said.
     Police arrested him within nine days and filed a charge sheet. Raghuveer has been in jail since his arrest, the lawyer said.
     Statements from 17 witnesses were recorded during the trial while 37 documents were submitted to the court, he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)