Mumbai man, who molested minor in 2014, gets seven years in jail

The accused, a resident of Antop Hill, was found guilty by a a special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, primarily on the basis of the survivor’s testimony.

A 42-year-old man, working as a watchman in a school in Mumbai’s Antop Hill area, was on Thursday sentenced to seven years in prison for molesting a minor student in 2014.

Reuters File

The accused, a resident of Antop Hill, was found guilty by a a special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, primarily on the basis of the survivor’s testimony. There was no medical evidence to prove the sexual assault.

Public prosecutor Vinod More examined seven witnesses, including the survivor and her family members.

According to the complaint, the incident took place on September 3, 2014. The survivor, who was in Class 2 and seven years of age at the time, said that she went to school at 10am to attend extra classes.

At 12pm, when the class ended, she came out and wanted to go home but as it was raining, she sat on a bench.

She said she ran away and went home. According to her statement, the girl confided in her elder sister after reaching home. The next day, she told her mother about the incident.

The family then approached the Antop Hill police station and registered a complaint. The watchman was arrested the same day.