A special court in Maharashtra's Thane has sentenced an elderly man to three years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a four-year-old girl. Judge D S Deshmukh, hearing cases filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, passed the order on Tuesday.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹1,000 on the 64-year-old convict Mohammad Umar Sheikh, a hawker from Mumbra.
Both victim and accused knew each other
Special public prosecutors Sandhya Mhatre and Vivek Kadu told the court that the victim and the accused lived in the same building.
On November 14, 2019, the man lured the minor with chocolate and took her to his house, where he touched her inappropriately, removed her clothes, and sexually abused her, they told the court.
Police complaint & court order
The girl managed to free herself from his clutches and ran home. She later narrated the incident to her mother, following which they approached the police and lodged a complaint. The accused was later arrested.
Constable Vidyasagar Koli, who assisted the prosecution, said five witnesses were examined in the case. The court passed the order noting that the prosecution has proved the charges against the accused.
