Man gets life term for raping 9-year-old girl

Mumbai: A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court on Tuesday sentenced a 40-year-old man to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in Cuff Parade in November 2020

Mumbai: A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court on Tuesday sentenced a 40-year-old man to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in Cuff Parade in November 2020.

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The court also imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on the man and asked the District Legal Aid Services Authority to provide adequate compensation to the girl.

It was alleged that the accused took advantage of the fact that the parents of the girls were out for work during the Covid-19 lockdown as her mother worked with a hospital and father was employed with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

As per the prosecution case, the girl was playing in the neighbourhood when the accused lured her by offering food and took her to his house twice on November 20 and 21 in 2020, and sexually assaulted her.

The girl in her testimony claimed that the accused threatened to cut her and her parents into pieces and throw it in the creek, if she spoke about the incident to anyone. She claimed that the accused gave her a ₹20 note after assaulting her, while she was leaving and she threw away the money.

The incident came to light on December 1, 2020, when the girl complained of stomach pain and informed one of her neighbours about it. When the neighbour enquired with her, she narrated the entire incident. The neighbour immediately contacted her parents, who reported the incident to the Cuffe Parade police station.

The police immediately registered an offence and arrested the accused the same day.

Public prosecutor Vinod More examined nine witnesses, including the child, her mother, the neighbour, the doctor who examined her and the investigating officer of the case.

The girl was referred for medical examination, which confirmed that she was subjected to sexual assault and proved key evidence in the court. The doctor, who examined her, supported the prosecution case. Based on the evidence, the special court convicted the man.