Pune: Pune District Court's Justice S.M. Taklikar has ordered five years’ rigorous imprisonment for the man accused of molesting a three-year-old girl. He has also been fined Rs 5,000, out of which Rs 4,000 is to be paid to the victim.
The accused, identified as Krushna Narayan Gawade (age 34, resident of Kolhapur), was arrested by Haveli Police Station in 2019. The victim's mother had filed a complaint. He was a labourer who had come to the victim’s home to install an LPG cylinder.
According to police reports, the complainant had called her regular LPG gas provider, but as he was out of station, he sent his friend, the accused Gawade.
After he installed the gas, the complainant went to another room to get money to pay his bill. Then, he went on to molest the three-year-old girl who was playing in the house. After this, the accused tried to flee, but the victim bravely reported the incident quickly to her mother. The complainant caught the accused with the help of neighbours.
After five years of legal battle, the statements and confessions of the victim, the mother, the police, the driver who accompanied the accused, and others were taken. This all proved useful for the court to reach the verdict.
Public Prosecutor Adv. Suchitra Narote argued on behalf of the police.
.jpg)
