Kavaratti resident found guilty of sexually assaulting minor boy

A special court in Lakshadweep on Tuesday held a resident of Kavaratti guilty of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy in 2022 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO Act), 2012.

Ilyas TP, 37, was given 20 years rigorous imprisonment while ordered to pay a fine of ₹100,000 to the victim as compensation. In addition, the District Legal Service Office, Kavaratti was directed to consider awarding ₹2,000 as compensation to the victim considering the nature of the crime, age of the victim, psychological trauma and need for rehabilitation.

The accused was convicted under the POCSO Act and Section 368 of the IPC (unlawful detention of abducted person). Kavaratti police accused him of abducting a child from his parents’ legal custody several times, taking him to a house under construction and sexually assaulting him.

The case was registered on a medico-legal tip received by the police from a hospital in Kavaratti. The victim’s father said he was taken to the hospital for psychiatric counseling after he became weak in his studies and was inattentive in class.

Published – 21 Jul 2026 22:32 IST