Mumbai: A POCSO court sentenced a 26-year-old Dahisar man to 20 years in jail for sexually assaulting a 7-year-old neighbour in August 2020. The boy had gone to a public toilet around 5.30pm but didn’t return.
His grandmother began searching and heard him respond to her calls near the accused’s home. She found both of them naked, the accused hiding under a bed. The boy told her the man dragged him to his house and assaulted him. He was arrested the next day.
The court, based on the boy and grandmother’s testimonies and other evidence, ruled the accused kidnapped and committed unnatural acts. Although not awarding life imprisonment, the court noted the accused’s remorse and lack of prior jail issues. However, it also said the act was heinous, and the accused deserved no leniency despite being young and family-less.
