Bangladeshi man jailed for 8 yrs in rape case, 2 others jailed for illegal stay

A sessions court in Maharashtras Thane district has sentenced a Bangladeshi national to eight years in prison after holding him guilty in a rape case reported news agency PTIIn his order of October 24 a copy of which was made available on Friday Additional Sessions Judge Belapur Parag A Sane also handed 5year imprisonment to the mans wife and another person for illegally staying in India reported PTIAll three convicted individuals are to be deported to Bangladesh upon the completion of their sentencesAccording to the prosecution Joshim Sobur Mulla 26 was accused of raping two minor girls trafficked from Bangladesh Acting on a tipoff by an NGO the police had rescued the survivors in 2017 reported PTIWhile the court convicted Joshim for rape under the Indian Penal Code it did not hold him guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO Act as the prosecution could not prove the age of the two female survivors reported PTIThe court also dropped charges of human trafficking and procuring girls for illicit intercourse against Joshim his wife Murshida and one Jana Rabul MullaBesides convicting Joshim in the rape case the court held that Murshid and Jana had violated the Passport and Foreigners Acts and sentenced them to 5 years of imprisonment reported PTISpecial Public Prosecutor Yogendra Patil said 12 prosecution witnesses were examined during the trialFive other persons who were accused of being involved in a prostitution racket that exploited the two Bangladeshi survivors were acquitted of all charges including kidnapping trafficking and offences registered under POCSO reported PTIThe judge found the evidence against these coaccused to be very weak in nature and not reliableTribunal orders Rs 115 crore payout to kin of couple killed in road accidentMeanwhile the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal MACT in Thane has ordered a collective compensation of Rs 115 crore to the family of a couple killed in a road accident in 2019 reported PTIIt directed that Rs 7529 lakh be given to the couples 16yearold daughter and Rs 20 lakh each to the deceased mans father and motherThe accident occurred due to the sole negligent driving of the offending truck MACT member R V Mohite noted in the order passed on Tuesday reported PTIThe claimants counsel S J Tiwari told the tribunal that the accident occurred on February 2 2019 near Phiroz Shah Mehta Bridge on the Eastern Express Highway in Mumbais Vikhroli area reported PTIWith inputs from PTI