Thane: 33-year-old man gets rigorous imprisonment for molesting minor girl in Vartak Nagar

Thane: The Thane sessions court has sentenced a 33-year-old man to three years rigorous imprisonment for molesting a minor girl in his neighbourhood in Vartak Nagar in 2008.

V V Virkar, a special court judge in her order on May 17 also imposed a fine of ₹3,000 on the accused.

Accused wanted to marry the girl

Rekha Hiwrale, a special public prosecutor, told the court that the victim and the accused resided in the same building in Vartak Nagar in Thane. The accused stalked the victim whenever she went out of her house and told her that he wanted to marry her.

The accused repeatedly made advances toward the minor girl following which four years ago, in January 2018, her parents sent her to their hometown in Uttar Pradesh.

Victim dropped out of school due to fear

Hiwrale said, "The victim dropped out of school due to fear and constant harassment by the accused. The girl was brought back to Thane in May 2018, and the accused pursued her with his proposal. He even warned her family of dire consequences if they did not allow him to marry her."

Based on a complaint by the girl's mother, the police arrested the accused. A total of eight witnesses, including the victim and her mother, were examined to prove the case against the accused, Hiwrale said.