Thane: More than decade after rape of minor, man sentenced to 10 years in jail

A Thane court has sentenced a 32-year-old man to ten years` rigorous imprisonment for the rape and sexual assault of a then 11-year-old girl in the district in 2013, reported news agency PTI.

Dinesh S Deshmukh, special judge for Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act cases, delivered the verdict on Wednesday.

Bablu alias Mohammad Mustapha Imtiyaz Shaikh who was 20 years old at the time of the crime was found guilty under relevant sections of the POCSO Act and for rape under the Indian Penal Code, reported PTI.

The Thane court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him.

Special Public Prosecutor Sandhya Mhatre said the survivor lived in the same locality in Mumbra as the accused.

On the evening of July 6, 2013, when the girl was returning home from school, Shaikh accosted her and compelled her to go with him, threatening to beat up her family members otherwise, said Advocate Mhatre, reported PTI.

He took her to his house and raped her.

After the girl narrated the incident to her mother, a complaint was registered with Mumbra Police.

“We examined six witnesses, including the survivor and her mother, to prove the case,” the prosecutor told reporters.

The defence argued that the accused was falsely implicated because the girl`s mother wanted a contract which the accused had obtained, for her son-in-law. However, the Thane court rejected this argument, Advocate Mhatre said, reported PTI.

The Thane court found the girl`s deposition reliable, noting that a child would not lie. The court also accepted the medical reports while convicting the accused, the prosecutor added.

Judge Deshmukh directed that the fine amount be given to the survivor as compensation. The case has also been referred to the District Legal Services Authority for the payment of additional compensation. 

Thane court acquits man booked under MCOCA for highway robbery

In another case, a special court in Thane district has acquitted a man booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in a 17-year-old highway robbery and dacoity case, citing insufficient evidence.

Additional Special Judge A N Sirsikar acquitted Shobhan alias Gando Himla Machar of charges under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and MCOCA.

A copy of the order, dated April 29, was made available on Monday.

Machar was arrested in 2008 in connection with a robbery on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on December 9, 2007, during which vehicles were stopped and occupants looted of valuables worth more than Rs 3 lakh.

(With inputs from PTI)

This article first appeared on Mid Day