Tempo driver sent to 4 yrs in jail for sexually harassing minor girl

A 37-year-old tempo driver has been sentenced to five years in jail for sexually harassing a five-year-old girl in Mumbai. The incident occurred in February 2021 when the girl went to a local shop to buy chocolate. The accused man promised to buy her chocolate, but instead took her to his tempo, undressed her, and frightened her. The girl later told her mother, and the accused was confronted and reported to the police. The accused claimed he was falsely implicated, but the court rejected his defense.

MUMBAI: A special court designated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) on Wednesday sentenced a 37-year-old tempo driver to five years in jail for sexually harassing a five-year-old girl who had gone to a local shop to buy chocolate in February 2021.

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According to the prosecution case, on February 21, 2021, the mother of the girl was at home preparing dinner. The girl asked her if she could buy chocolate from a nearby grocery store and the mother, the complainant in the case, gave her money to do the same. As the girl reached the shop, the accused man, present near the shop, chatted her up and promised to buy her chocolate.

The little girl was then taken to his tempo and the man undressed her. Frightened by the act, the girl screamed and ran away to her house. The girl later narrated the incident to her mother. The family later traced the accused and confronted him. He was later taken to the police station and a case of sexual harassment was registered against him.

The accused in his defence claimed that he was falsely implicated as the mother of the victim had borrowed ₹80,000. Besides, it was also alleged that the mother had proposed marriage to the accused but he had declined. The accused claimed because of this his mother had falsely implicated him in the case of sexual harassment of her daughter.

The court rejected his claim stating the defence has not brought on record any grounds for false implication of the accused by the victim or her mother in this case. Besides, the court said, the words used by the victim girl for describing the incident clearly show that these are the natural words of a girl of 5 years of age and there is no possibility of tutoring the victim girl.

“It is established that the victim has clearly stated in her oral evidence that the accused is known to her and he is visiting her house. She called him Bali Mama. On the day of the incident, the accused told her that there is chocolate in the tempo. Considering the age of the victim girl is 5 years and the accused is known to her as well as visiting her house, a girl like a victim can easily believe the words of the accused that if she will go in the autorickshaw accused will give her chocolate,” the special court said while holding the accused guilty of sexually harassing the girl.