A district and sessions court in Karachi sentenced a man, Naeem Ahmed, to 16 years in jail on Wednesday after finding him guilty of raping a three-year-old girl in 2017.

The incident had taken place in Karachi's Korangi Industrial Area and a first information report was registered under sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 337-H(i) (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act) of the Pakistan Penal Code on behalf of the victim's family.

Ahmed's wife was also nominated in the case on charges of facilitating the crime but was acquitted due to the lack of evidence against her.

In his verdict, which was reserved at the last hearing, Additional District and Sessions’ Judge (east) Javed Haider Phulpoto imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on Ahmed. In case of default on payment of the fine, the convict will have to spend an additional six months in prison.

The judge also directed him to pay Rs10,000 in compensation to the complainant, and ruled that in case of default on this payment, Ahmed would have to undergo an additional imprisonment for a month.

Earlier at the hearing, the complainant's counsel, Advocate Asia Munir, told the court that Ahmed had taken away the victim with him from outside her parents' house while she was playing in August 2017.

She said the victim's brother was an eyewitness to this event and had informed his parents about it.

On the other hand, Ahmed had initially denied having any information about the victim's whereabouts, but later said that the girl had gone to a wedding with his wife, the counsel added.

Advocate Munir said when Ahmed brought the girl back to her parents, she was not feeling well and had fever.

The kid, she said, had cigarette burns on her chest.

Ahmed had subjected her to physical torture in addition to sexual abuse, she added.