A Special POCSO court Judge in Manipur on Saturday sentenced a man from Assam for 16 years and a fine of Rs 20,000 under the POCSO Act, 2012 for sexually assaulting his 12-year-old niece, a court official said.

Both the victim and the convict are close relatives and hailed from Silchar in southern Assam.

According to the Manipur police, the convict Babul Kol, 39, raped his minor niece in 2016 while they are staying together in Ukhrul district in northeastern Manipur.

Babul brought the minor girl from Silchar to Ukhrul in October 2015 and admitted her to class III at a school in Ukhrul and stayed together at a rented house.

“Since March 2016, he has been repeatedly sexually assaulting the girl till she lodged a complaint with the women police station of Ukhrul,” the police said.