Bus driver sentenced to life for rape of 4-year-old girl, attempted murder in Thane

A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offence POCSO Act court in Thane district of Maharashtra has sentenced a bus driver to life imprisonment for raping a fouryearold girl and trying to kill her in December 2020 reported the PTIThe court also imposed a fine of Rs 60000 on 39yearold accused who worked as driver of a private bus in the verdict delivered on TuesdayThe amount shall be paid to the victim as a compensation said judge D S Deshmukh of the special court for cases under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences ActAccording to the PTI special public prosecutor Sandhya H Mhatre told the court that on December 4 2020 when the girl was playing near her house in Bhayander area of the district the accused abducted her in his bus and raped her and later tried to kill her by strangulating herThinking that she was dead he put her in a gunny sack and dumped her on the road as per the PTIA passersby rescued the girl who narrated the incident to her parents Accused was arrested on the same dayThe prosecution proved all charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt the judge saidA total of 17 prosecution witnesses were examined during the trial said advocate Mhatre the news agency reported on WednesdayThane court sentences man to 20 years RI for sexually assault of 6yearold girlMeanwhile in an another incident a special court in Thane district sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for aggravated sexual assault of a sixyearold girl reported the PTISpecial judge D S Deshmukh found the 38yearold accused a resident of Bhayandar guilty of charges under sections 376 Rape and 376 AB rape on a woman under twelve years of age of the Indian Penal Code IPC and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO ActA copy of the order passed last week was made available on TuesdayPublic prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale said the incident occurred on February 11 2021 in BhayanderThe victims mother discovered her daughter was missing when she returned home from work and was informed that the accused their neighbour had taken her out for a snackThe girl was found in the accuseds house with two notes of Rs 10 in her hand She later told her mother that the accused had given her money removed her pants and touched her inappropriatelyA complaint was lodged against the accused who was arrested the next dayThe court in the order stated The act of sexual assault on the child is to be viewed seriously and such offences are to be dealt with in a stringent manner according to the PTIThe judge acknowledged the accuseds plea for leniency citing his prolonged detention since 2021 and his familys dependence on himThe accused submitted that he is now 38 years old For the last more than four years he has been in jail He is the only earning member of the family He has elderly parents a wife and children These facts have to be taken into consideration at the time of awarding the sentence to the accused he said as per the PTIHe however cited the statutory mandate of the POCSO Act and sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10000 with an additional three months of simple imprisonment in case of default according to the PTIThe judge ordered that the time that the accused has spent in jail since his arrest be taken into account for his sentence as per the PTIwith PTI inputs