Maha: Man gets 1-yr rigorous imprisonment for molesting minor girl

The police had registered offences against the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act.Hiwrale said seven prosecution witnesses were examined to prove the case.

A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a man to one-year rigorous imprisonment for molesting a seven-year-old girl in 2016.

Special Judge V V Virkar, hearing cases pertaining to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on the 28-year-old accused in the order passed on Tuesday.

Special public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale said the victim and her mother were not traceable and were not examined.

The judge accepted the deposition of other witnesses and based on the circumstantial evidence convicted the accused and sentenced him, she said.

Hiwrale told the court that on September 30, 2016, when the victim was playing outside her house in Koparkhairne area of Navi Mumbai, the accused took her to an isolated place under the pretext of giving her chocolates and molested her. Some passers-by caught hold of him, beat him up and handed him over to police. The police had registered offences against the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act.

Hiwrale said seven prosecution witnesses were examined to prove the case.