School van driver gets 10 years in jail for raping two girls in Thane

Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) court judge, SP Gondhalekar, convicted Tulshiram Manere and imposed a fine of ₹28,000 on him on Friday.

 A special court awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) to a 35-year-old van driver for raping two girls whom he used to drop off to school. Both girls were around eight years old at the time of the incident.

A special court awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) to a 35-year-old van driver for raping two girls whom he used to drop off to school. (HT File)

Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) court judge, SP Gondhalekar, convicted Tulshiram Manere and imposed a fine of ₹28,000 on him on Friday.

According to the prosecution, the convict, who used to drive a van to ferry schoolchildren, had raped the two girls on multiple occasions between June and December 2016. Additional public prosecutor Ujjwala Moholkar said, “On Saturdays, the school timing of these two girls used to be different. Taking advantage of the situation, he would take them to an isolated place and molest and rape them.”

“The girls then stopped attending school on Saturdays. When the teachers asked them the reason, they broke down and narrated their ordeal,” Moholkar said. The teacher then took the victims to Nizampura police station and lodged a complaint against Manere.