Man sentenced to 20 years RI for raping 13-year-old neighbour in Thane

A special court in Maharashtras Thane district has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 13yearold neighbour in 2021 reported news agency PTISpecial judge D S Deshmukh on Thursday found the accused a resident of Kalwa guilty of charges under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO Act reported PTIJudge Deshmukh sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 20000 on himSpecial public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale informed the court that on the afternoon of August 17 2021 the girl was playing outside her house when the accused gagged her dragged her into his house and raped her after threatening her reported PTIEight prosecution witnesses including the girl and her mother were examined during the trialHiwrale said the judge has directed that the fine money if recovered be paid to the girl as compensation and referred the case to the DLSA for payment of appropriate compensationThane man sentenced to 20 years in jail for rape and assault of sevenyearold girlIn another case a court has convicted and sentenced a man from Maharashtras Thane district to 20 years in prison for the rape and assault of a sevenyearold girl about six years agoIn his order an Additional Sessions Judge from Kalyan PR Ashturkar also imposed a fine of Rs 6000 on the 39yearold convict a resident of the Ambernath areaSpecial Public Prosecutor Sachin Kulkarni told the court that in July 2019 the man lured the child out of her house under a false pretext took her to a desolate spot and raped her He also struck the girl resulting in a tooth being knocked out said KulkarniHearing her cries a passerby rushed to the spot and caught the man who was subsequently arrested and booked for rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO Act and assaultThe court said the prosecution had proved all charges against the man beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced him to 20 years in jailKulkarni said eight witnesses including the survivor testified in the court The judge found the survivors testimony compelling and consistent he addedWith inputs from PTI