A special Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Guwahati on Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for sexually abusing and attempting to murder a minor girl in the city.

The court found Narhari Barman, the accused in the 2022 case, guilty of sexual abuse of a 12-year-old minor girl and trying to murder her in Guwahati's Bangagarh locality. A case numbered 273/2022 was registered at the Bhangagarh Police Station based on which he was arrested.

According to the case details, the convict was working as a house help for a family whose 12-year-old daughter was abducted by him. After abducting the minor girl, he threatened her with death and made her strip off her clothing to record objectionable videos.

Later on, he used the video and the release of the girl as leverage to make a ransom demand of Rs 7 lakh from the family. Thereafter, the girl's family contacted the police and prepared to pay the ransom for their daughter's release.

However, during the exchange, the accused Barman allegedly injured the girl with a knife in an attempt to kill her, according to the family.

Hearing the matter today, the court found the accused guilty under section 264 (A) of the Indian Penal Code and section 10 of the POCSO Act and sentenced him to life imprisonment.