A man sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping an underage girl

Bombay: A special POCSO court on Tuesday sentenced a 26-year-old man to 20 years in prison for kidnapping and gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in 2019 in Ghatkopar. The second defendant was a minor whose case was separated and heard before the juvenile commission.

On January 25, 2019, the girl went missing, which was reported by her mother. The minor claimed that her mother beat her because she did not cook food or do any housework. Therefore, under the pretext of buying soap, she left the house and hid in a public toilet.

Meanwhile, one of the accused, who lives in a nearby town, saw her and forced the victim to join him and go to Ghatkopar. There – according to the girl – the accused men sexually assaulted her, and when she resisted, they burned her leg. In addition, they threw her clothes and gave them the clothes of the wife of one of the accused.

The victim in her statements, most of which were recorded in question and answer format, stated that the two accused raped her successively and kept her there for 5-6 days.

The accused told his neighbors that he loved the girl and wanted to marry her, and then he finally ran away from home – the witness testified in court. Later, a third friend of the accused arrived there and tried to save the girl. On January 31, he informed the victim’s parents, who saved the girl.

Later, the family registered a case at Shivaji Nagar police station. The prosecutor’s office relied largely on the testimony of the victim, her mother and doctor, who confirmed that the girl had suffered sexual violence. Moreover, the testimony of the woman with whom the accused kept the girl also helped the prosecutor’s office to strengthen the case.

Posted: Wed Jun 12 2024 00:37 EST