MEERUT, May 28 -- A special POCSO court in Bareilly on Monday sentenced Shadab, a resident of Ramzanpur village in Budaun district, to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder of a 17-year-old girl whom he set ablaze in 2013. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on him. Delivering the verdict, additional district judge (POCSO Act) Devashish acquitted five other co-accused, including Shadab's mother and brothers, due to insufficient evidence.According to additional district government counsel (ADGC) Rajeev Tiwari, the case dates back to September 3, 2013, when the victim was abducted from Sahaswan village in Budaun. An FIR was filed on September 29 at Quila police station in Bareilly. Investigations revealed that Shadab had taken the girl to a rented house in Swale Nagar, Bareilly. On September 24, the girl's family was informed that she had been set on fire. She was rushed to the district hospital and later referred to Delhi for treatment, where she died of her burn injuries. During the trial, the prosecution presented 10 witnesses and eight pieces of evidence. ADGC Tiwari said, "A key testimony came from Shadab's landlady, who stated she witnessed the incident and confirmed that no one else was present at the crime scene except Shadab. This crucial statement led the court to hold Shadab solely responsible for the crime," ADGC said. The other accused, Zehra Khatoon (mother), brothers Shabav and Shahbaz, and acquaintances Gulnaz and Shavinaz, were acquitted after the prosecution failed to prove their direct involvement.Additionally, the court noted that the prosecution could not provide sufficient proof that the victim was a minor at the time, resulting in the acquittal of all accused under the POCSO Act. In a separate ruling delivered by the same court, Mohd Sajid, a resident of a village under the Bisharatganj police station limits, Bareilly, was sentenced to 20 years in prison under the POCSO Act for abducting and raping a minor girl in 2021. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 32,000 on the convict. According to the case details, Sajid abducted the girl on May 31, 2021. A complaint filed by the victim's parents said they were allegedly threatened with death by Sajid's family members when they visited his residence the following day to confront him....