Mumbai A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court on Monday convicted three men for sexually assaulting a minor girl in 2017. While two of them were awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI), one has been sentenced to two years
While convicting the accused, the special court relied on the deposition of the victim, which was corroborated with medical and technical evidence. Prosecutor Veena Shelar examined 15 witnesses to bring home the accused’s guilt. The victim stated that the accused were invited by her mother for her birthday party held on November 26, 2016. A month after the party, the main accused, a driver, asked the victim’s hand for marriage, to which she refused. The driver was accompanied by another man.
The victim states that after she refused, the driver threatened her and said that if she told anyone about the proposal, they would kill her brother.
The victim further said that in January 2017, while she was returning from a grocery shop, the driver stopped her and asked her to accompany him as he wanted to talk. The girl claimed he was accompanied by his friend. When she resisted, the girl claimed the accused forcibly took her to an isolated place.
While the driver sexually assaulted her, his friend made a video of the incident. The victim claimed that she was threatened again to keep her mouth shut or her video would be released. The driver again sexually assaulted her in February blackmailing her with the video.
Finally, after the accused released the video, another man, who recognised the girl from th video, began pestering her for sexual favours.
In April, the video reached her brother, when the girl opened up and narrated the incidents. The family later approached the RCF police in April 2017. The accused were arrested on April 26, 2017.
