Maha: Thane man gets 10 years RI for raping minor niece

District judge (special POCSO Act) S P Gondhalekar on Wednesday found the accused guilty of charges under relevant sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 22,000 on the accused, additional public prosecutor Ujjwala Moholkar said.

The prosecution informed the court that the accused, who is an autorickshaw driver, used to frequent the home of the victim then a Class 9 student in Rabodi.

Once when the victim had headed out for tuition classes, the accused met her on the way and took her to a hotel in Mumbra, where he raped her, the prosecution state.

The accused threatened and raped her on at least four occasions in April and May 2014, it was stated.

Taking a serious view of the case, the court convicted the accused and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.