A 55-year-old man was awarded seven years' of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a minor girl in 2017. A court in Thane also charged a fine of Rs 20,000 on the accused.

Special judge (POCSO court) Kavita D Shirbhate in her order last Wednesday imposed seven years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 on Janardhan Kapse. According to the prosecution, on December 13, 2017, the accused called the girl, then aged five years, to his house here on the pretext of giving her chocolate and sexually abused her.