The special POCSO court has sentenced a 29-year-old man to twenty years imprisonment for sexually assaulting the nine-year-old niece of his friend in July 2021, three months after the family had come to Mumbai. The special police court accepted the testimony of the victim girl wherein she stated that the accused was known to her as she had seen him with her uncle and he was her uncle's friend.
Timeline Of The Horrific Assault
The incident happened on July 18, 2021, and on the same day the family had registered the case with Nagpada police station. On July 18, 2021, in the morning at around 9:30, the girl went to attend nature's call in the common toilet which was at some distance from their house. The girl said the accused met her there and took her somewhere on foot, later in taxi and thereafter in local train.
Accused Lures The Minor, Runs Away From Scene Later Arrested
The girl said the accused first said he would drop her home but when he started to walk in a different direction, the girl tried to shout and raise an alarm but the accused stopped her and threatened her, saying he would kill her. The girl said the accused sexually assaulted her. Later he dropped her at home and ran away. Meanwhile, in the morning, when the family realised that the girl had not returned for a long time, they began to search for her. As she was not found, the family lodged a kidnapping complaint with the police. When the girl returned she narrated the incident to mother. The family registered a case of sexual assault. The accused was arrested on August 12, 2021 and has been in prison since then.
POCSO Court Holds Accused Guilty
The court, on the basis of testimony of the victim, held the accused guilty, observing that the accused kidnapped the girl while she was going to a public toilet and later committed the sexual assault. The court noted that oral evidence was supported by the medical evidence.
Court Sentences The Accused To 20 Years In Jail
The court also said, "According to victim, she came to Mumbai three months prior to incident and she had seen the accused one or two times prior to the incident, as he was a friend of her uncle. Under such circumstances, it is natural conduct of the victim girl that when accused met her and said that he will drop her home, she went with him. According to the victim, when she was taken in wrong direction, she shouted but the accused threatened that he will kill her if she did not remain silent. Therefore, there was no likelihood of a girl aged 9 years seeking the help of other persons."
