Fugitive POCSO accused held after US deportation

A youth from Pehowa, wanted in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, was arrested by Kurukshetra police after being deported from the US.

The accused, identified as Sahil Verma, a resident of Pehowa in Kurukshetra, had been booked in May 2022 under POCSO and IPC sections for molesting and threatening a minor girl. However, within four to five days of the FIR, he fled to Vietnam and later reached Italy, where he remained for two years.

On January 25, Verma illegally entered the US through the Mexico border but was arrested there.

Kurukshetra SP Varun Singla said, “In 2022, a minor girl in her complaint had stated that Sahil Verma had blocked her way, molested and threatened to kill her. Following her complaint, a case was registered at Pehowa City police station. After the case was registered, the accused, avoiding arrest, managed to flee. He stayed in Italy for two years and in January, he crossed the border through the donkey route and entered America, where he was arrested.”

Singla further revealed that Verma had paid Rs 38 lakh to an agent to facilitate his escape abroad.

A police team from Pehowa City police station, led by Sub-Inspector Janpal Singh, arrested Verma from Amritsar soon after his deportation flight landed. “He was produced before a court, which sent him to jail,” the SP added.