A special court designated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Wednesday sentenced a husband-wife duo to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI). The husband had raped the 16-year-old on two occasions with the help of his wife in their residence and the two had pushed her into prostitution.
The victim, who lived with her family in Delhi, had come to the city for work as her father had died and the family was under financial duress. An old acquaintance of the family had convinced to her go to Mumbai to the house of the accused and told the woman Sampa Roy was his sister.
The duo was convicted under provisions of the IPC pertaining to trafficking, rape, and abetment of rape and under the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (PITA).
Special Judge under the POCSO Act Priti Kumar Ghule also imposed a total fine of Rs 55,000 of the two and directed that the minor be given compensation as per law by the District Legal Services Authority.
Special Public Prosecutor Veena Shelar said that the girl had to drop out of school after Class 8. She was ready to work as she had two younger siblings. An acquaintance whom she knew since childhood suggested to her mother that she be sent to Mumbai for work where she had found good work for her. When her mother refused, the acquaintance lured the teenager with the proposition and said that she had arranged a place for her to stay - at her sister’s home and that she could earn Rs. 30,000 in the job. The girl agreed.
In May 2015, a day after she had reached the couple’s home, she was woken up at night by Sampa who was with her husband Mangal Ray. She told the girl to keep sexual relations with her husband. When the minor refused, the duo used force on her and Mangal raped her.
Sampa told her she will have to get used to this. Thereafter, for a month’s duration when she was at their rented residence in Poonam Nagar, Andheri, the duo kept making her engage in sexual relations with different men and took money from them in return.
During this duration, she was raped by Mangal a second time, again with the help of his wife. The minor had made her escape one afternoon when Sampa and her daughter were asleep. A man in the building whom she revealed her ordeal, helped her get in touch with Childline. A police complaint was then lodged.
