Kanpur Jeweler Arrested for Repeatedly Raping Minor Girl with Scooter Lure 

Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh: Ashok Kumar Rastogi, a prominent businessman and owner of ‘Ashok Jewellers’ in Kanpur, has been arrested for the repeated sexual assault of a minor girl. The minor had taken up employment at one of his jewelry showrooms. Under the pretext of teaching her how to ride a scooter and promising to purchase one for her transport needs, the accused took her to his farmhouse. 

At the farmhouse, Rastogi restrained and sexually assaulted the victim, threatening to imprison her entire family if she disclosed the incident. He subsequently repeated the abuse multiple times both at the farmhouse and in a backroom of his showroom. Unable to bear the continuous harassment, the victim eventually informed her father, leading the family to approach the police. Notably, Rastogi is a repeat offender; he was out on bail at the time of this arrest, having previously served a nine-month jail term for sexually assaulting another employee from Punjab. 

Legal significance 

This case carries immense weight under Indian criminal jurisprudence because it involves the systemic exploitation of an employer-employee dynamic to abuse a minor. Since the victim is minor, the primary legal framework governing the offense is the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Specifically, Sections 5 and 6 regarding Aggravated Penetrative Sexual Assault will apply alongside Section 65(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 (which covers sexual assault on a minor under 16). Under these strict provisions, the legal standard of “consent” is completely invalid, and the accused faces severe statutory penalties ranging from a minimum of 20 years of rigorous imprisonment up to life imprisonment or the death penalty. Additional charges under Section 351 (BNS) for Criminal Intimidation will also apply due to the threats made against the victim’s family. 

📰 Source: Manorama Online (English)