Man gets 20-yr jail term for luring, raping 12-yr-old girl

MUMBAI: A special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) court on Thursday sentenced a 60-year-old rickshaw driver to rigorous imprisonment for 20 years for raping a 12-year-old girl by luring her with chocolates, gifts and money.
According to the prosecution, the incident came to light in September 2019, when the minor girl’s mother suspected some foul play involving the convict, Ashok Vishwanath Kamble, and inquired with her daughter. The girl told her mother that Kamble, 60, would make her sit in his rickshaw near the Ramabai police quarters and take her to the garden near Nilkanth Tower, Garodiya Nagar. He had sexually assaulted her thrice, she told her mother, after which they approached the police.
The auto driver was arrested after a case was registered under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act. His counsel, Pravin Pandey questioned the credibility of the evidence in the case. The told the trial court that while the testimony of child witness was not reliable, the prosecution had failed to produce any corroborating medical or other evidence, thus failing to establish that the 60-year-old was guilty of offences under section 29 of the POCSO Act.
The court, after hearing the arguments of both the sides, convicted Kamble for rape under section 376(2)(n) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 4(2), 8, 10 and 12 of the POCSO Act.