Latur District Court in Maharashtra has sentenced a 32-year-old man to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor relative
Additional and Sessions Judge B C Kamble also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on the accused, who hails from Nilanga in the district.
As per the prosecution, in 2019, the accused and his wife came to reside at the victim’s home in Latur for work. During that time, the victim was 14 years old and in the ninth grade. The accused would drop the victim off at school and pick her up on his scooty, allegedly engaging in inappropriate touching. When the girl resisted his advances, he would threaten her by claiming that he could speak to her parents, whom he stated trusted him, and that he could prevent her from attending school.
Subsequently, the accused allegedly raped her on numerous occasions when there was no one else present in her home and also threatened to harm her parents. Later, the accused’s wife was transferred to Nilanga, and he relocated there as well. However, he continued to visit the victim’s home and allegedly raped her when no one else was present.
The victim eventually disclosed the offense to her parents, who then contacted the police.
A case was registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The police conducted an investigation, gathered evidence against the accused, and presented a chargesheet in court. The statements of 11 witnesses were recorded during the police investigation.
