A 23-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, earlier arrested for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy, was sentenced to undergo 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by Special Sessions Court for POCSO cases at HACA Bhavan in Hyderabad on Tuesday (May 19, 2026). The court also imposed a fine of ₹6,000 and directed that compensation of ₹75,000 be paid to the victim.

The accused was identified as Abdul Rehman, a resident of Begumpet.

According to the police, the incident was reported on October 29, 2019, when the child boarded an auto-rickshaw near Jalavihar to travel to Ranigunj. The accused diverted the route and stopped near Bathukamma Kunta, where he forcibly took the boy into bushes near a railway track and subjected him to unnatural sexual assault.

Police said the accused also attacked the child when he resisted, smashing the victim’s head against a wall and causing severe bleeding injuries. Passers-by who heard the boy’s cries rescued him, apprehended the accused at the scene and handed him over to the police.

Based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother, the Ramgopalpet police registered a case under Sections 377 and 324 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 5 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police officials said the conviction was secured following the presentation of strong evidence during the trial.