Meerut, July 25 -- A special Pocso Act court in Bareilly district sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a four-year-old girl in a village under the Hafizganj police station area. Special judge, Devashish, also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict and directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay Rs 25,000 as compensation to the victim. The case, which unfolded on March 18, 2023, began when the victim's mother filed a police report stating that her daughter was playing outside their house when Farukh, an acquaintance, lured the child on the pretext of buying her candy. When the girl did not return home, the mother searched for her and found her crying in a nearby vacant house. The child's clothes were disheveled, and she had visible swelling and injury marks on her private parts, prompting the mother to alert the authorities. The police acted swiftly, arresting Farukh on March 19, 2023, and sending him to judicial custody. A medical examination of the victim was conducted, and her statement was recorded. Additionally, 13 samples, including the clothes of both the victim and the accused, were sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis. The investigation culminated in the police filing a chargesheet on May 10, 2023. According to additional district government counsel (ADGC) Rajeev Tiwari, during the trial, the case took a complex turn as the victim, her mother, her father, and two other witnesses retracted their initial statements. The mother claimed in court that her daughter had sustained injuries after falling while playing, and that some individuals had coerced her into signing a blank paper that was later used to file a complaint against Farukh. The father echoed this account, and the victim herself stated that she knew Farukh but denied any wrongdoing. The other two witnesses also backtracked. "Despite the retraction of these testimonies, the prosecution relied on forensic evidence to secure the conviction. A DNA analysis confirmed that biological material found on the victim's clothes matched Farukh's DNA sample, providing irrefutable evidence of his guilt. The court also considered the testimony of the doctor who conducted the victim's medical examination," ADGC said....