A special court designated, on Wednesday, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has convicted a man in his late twenties for stalking a 17-year-old.
The court sentenced him to the period already undergone by him in custody in the case, that is, around five months. The accused had been arrested by the Dongri police on 10 September 2018 after the minor lodged a report against him. He had been granted bail in mid-February 2019.
The victim’s complaint stated that on 9 September 2018 she was walking with her elder sister towards Sandhurst Road railway station. The duo realized that the accused, who was known to her, was following them, but they tried to ignore him. He then came by taxi following them and asked them to stop.
They did not heed to his calls and started running towards a municipal school. He followed them and caught the minor’s hand and demanded her mobile number. She refused to share it and he then threatened her. She managed to release herself from his grasp and reached home. Once home, they narrated the incident to their mother, grandmother and uncle. The accused then came near their building and the minor pointed him out to her uncle. Her uncle questioned him and he behaved arrogantly with her uncle and also beat him which resulted in a scuffle between them. Crowd gathered and the accused fled. It was then that the minor lodged a police complaint against him.
Special Public Prosecutor Jyoti Sawant said that the man is in custody in a theft case currently and that the court has also imposed a fine of Rs. 2,500 on him in the present case. The court has directed that the amount be paid as compensation to the victim.
