POCSO court hands down life sentence to 68-year-old man

A 68-year-old man from Mahim, who had sexually assaulted a minor girl in 2018, was awarded life imprisonment by a special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012) court on Tuesday

A 68-year-old man from Mahim, who had sexually assaulted a minor girl in 2018, was awarded life imprisonment by a special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012) court on Tuesday. The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on him.

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Police claimed that on September 2, 2018, the 10-year-old girl was playing outside and went near a floor mill to answer nature’s call. The “chakkiwala,” as the accused was referred to, called her but she ignored him.

The man along with a juvenile then dragged her inside the floor mill and took turns to sexually assault the minor, the prosecution alleged. The accused later gave her a coin of ₹5 and advised her to apply coconut oil to her private parts to ease the pain. The accused also threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident to anyone.

The girl out of fear did not talk about it at home. Next day, when her mother was out at work, her relatives visited her house and noticed that her private parts were bleeding. The family then enquired with the girl and took her for a medical examination.

On the basis of a complaint filed by the family at Shahu Nagar police station on September 3, a case was registered. The man was arrested and the juvenile was detained on the same day.

Public prosecutor Vinod More examined 11 witnesses, including the minor survivor, medical and forensic experts.

The juvenile was tried by the Juvenile Justice Board.