Kozhikode: A POCSO court on Tuesday sentenced three of the four accused to life in the gang rape of a minor Dalit girl in Janakikkad two years ago. The fourth accused received a jail term of 30 years.

Nadapuram Fast track POCSO Court judge M Shuhaib found three accused -- Thekkeparambath Sayooj, Moolothathara Thammanjimmal Rahul and Aakkal Akshay -- guilty of the offence of atrocities against the 17-year-old Dalit girl under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The remaining accused -- Parachaliladukkath Shibu -- was not convicted under the SC/ST Act as he belongs to a Dalit community. All accused are from Kuttiady. The court also imposed fines of Rs 1.75 lakh on Sayooj and Rs 1 lakh each on the others.

It was in 2021 that the Dalit minor was gang-raped by four youths from the Janakikkad ecotourism forest area. Sayooj lured the girl and took her to the forest on his bike. She was given a juice mixed with a sedative drug to drink, following which the accused was raped and left in the forest.

The incident came to light when the minor tried to die by suicide in the Kuttiady River. While giving her statement to police, the survivor revealed another incident of rape she was subjected to at a relative's house in 2019. Two accused were arrested in that case.

Nadapuram ASP Nidhinraj presented the chargesheet. A total of 30 witnesses were examined during the trial.