Thane man gets 10 years RI for sexually assaulting minor girl in 2013
THANE: A 32-year-old man has been sentenced to ten years of rigorous imprisonment by a Special POCSO Court in Thane for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl nearly 12 years ago.
The accused, Bablu—also known as Mohammad Mustapha Imtiyaz Shaikh—was 20 years old when the offence took place. He has been convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The assault occurred on 6 July 2013, when the accused intercepted the girl on her way home from school and forced her to accompany him to his house, despite her refusal.
Prosecutor Advocate Sandhya Mhatre said the accused threatened to harm the girl's relatives before committing the assault. She described the crime as predatory and manipulative, exploiting the child's vulnerability.
The victim reported the incident to her mother immediately upon reaching home. A police complaint was filed the same day at Mumbra police station, and officers swiftly began their investigation, gathering key evidence that later supported the prosecution.
Six witnesses testified during the trial, including the victim and her mother, offering vital accounts that helped establish the sequence of events. The defence argued that the case was falsely filed due to a contract-related dispute. It was alleged that the victim's mother had wanted a contract for her son-in-law, which the accused had secured instead.
However, Judge Deshmukh dismissed the defence's claims, stating that the victim's testimony was credible and consistent with the medical evidence.
The court observed that it was unlikely for a young girl to fabricate such serious accusations and accepted the medical findings that supported her version.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of ₹10,000, to be given to the victim as compensation. The matter has also been referred to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for additional support, recognising the long-term psychological impact on the survivor.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
12 minutes ago
- The Print
Two CPI (Maoist) operatives chargesheeted for involvement in Chhattisgarh Assembly poll blast case
With this, 12 accused have been chargesheeted in the case. Ten others were chargesheeted earlier in December 2024 in the case. Dhanesh Ram Dhruw and Ramswrup Markam have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the supplementary chargesheet filed before a court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, they said. New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday chargesheeted two Maoist operatives for their involvement in November 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly poll blast case, officials said. During the Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh in November 2023, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion killed an ITBP head constable, a statement issued by the NIA said. The blast followed a poll boycott call by proscribed terror outfit CPI (Maoist) in Badegobra village of district Gariyaband. The explosion took place when a polling team accompanied by security personnel was returning from Badegobra village after the completion of the voting process, it said. Dhruv was a headmaster in a government primary school and Markam was sarpanch of Chhotegobra panchayat in Gariyaband district that has a sizeable presence of Naxals, the statement said. Both were allegedly involved in providing logistics and financial support to members of CPI (Maoist) for carrying out the attack, according to the NIA investigation. Dhruv had allegedly actively assisted CPI (Maoist) cadres in making posters and banners for boycotting the assembly elections, among other things, the probe agency said. Markam had allegedly arranged incriminating materials, such as wires, switches, and firecrackers, for the Naxals before carrying out the IED blast, it added. NIA, which took over the probe in February 2024, said that it found the attack to have been planned by CPI (Maoist) Central Committee members Ganesh Uikey and Manoj, and Special Zonal Committee Member Satyam Gawade. It was allegedly carried out by cadres of the outfit's Gobra Dalam with the support of over ground workers (OGWs) from Badegobra-Chhotegobra village, the NIA said. PTI AKV SKY SKY This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
26 minutes ago
- The Print
Maharashtra's cattle trade comes to near standstill as traders allege ‘free rein' to gau rakshaks
But it has been getting worse with each passing year, especially during Bakra-Eid, they say. Shaikh comes from the Qureshi community. An estimated 2 lakh members of the community, who are part of the cattle trade in Maharashtra, have been on a strike since the start of July to protest harassment by cow vigilantes. The harassment, which can easily spiral into physical assault, has become a part and parcel of their profession over the past decade, since the passage of Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2015. Mumbai: Hamid Shaikh is a licensed cattle trader and was on his way to sell a buffalo and three bulls. It would fetch him Rs 1.5 lakh, he hoped. But the 55-year-old returned home with bruises all over his body, no livestock and no money. 'Cow vigilantes stopped our truck and said we were taking these animals for slaughter which was not the case,' Shaikh told ThePrint about the incident from about three weeks ago. For instance, in Hamid Shaikh's case, he said he 'bought them (livestock) from Pachod (near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) market a few days ago and was taking them to Ch. Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) market for selling them'. 'I have all proper documentation for animals. Despite that, they took away my animals. They slapped me twice. I told them to not hit me since I had a bypass (surgery), but they still hit me. I was scared,' he added. Imran Babu Qureshi, national vice-president of All India Jamaitul Qureshi, told ThePrint that members of the community decided to go on strike 'because there is no response' from either the state government or police. 'There is an increase in incidents of cow vigilantes hitting our drivers, traders. That is the reason we have called this bandh.' In March 2015, the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Devendra Fadnavis banned sale, possession and consumption of beef by amending the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, which allowed slaughter of old bulls and bullocks with permission from civic authorities. The amendment brought about a complete ban on slaughter of cows and their progeny, bulls and bullocks. It allowed slaughter of buffaloes subject to certain conditions. On 15 July this year, the All India Jamiatul Quresh (AIJQ), a union of cattle traders, met Maharashtra Minister of State (MoS) for Home Yogesh Kadam as well as Director-General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla with a letter, seeking protection from gau rakshaks. They sent another letter on 24 July, demanding the police issue directions/orders as assured to them to make sure cattle traders are not harassed by cow vigilantes. 'We would also like to state that due to pressure of such unauthorized persons/vigilantes, the concerned police officers in various villages, tehsils and districts in the state are pressured to proceed to seize such transport vehicles and animals which otherwise are permitted to be transported. This creates further harassment and troubles on the transporter and the trader,' the Maharashtra AIJQ president wrote in this letter. Members of the Qureshi community are now planning to meet again next week to decide on a plan of action. When contacted, Yogesh Kadam confirmed to ThePrint that he met AIJQ representatives and told ThePrint that there are always two sides to a story. The minister said he had already assured action against those harassing cattle traders. 'During our meeting, I told them to follow all the rules required to conduct their business as many times the transporters do not have requisite documents. At the same time, I have assured action against those who were harassing them and also asked to share their details. I have not received any information from them yet,' Kadam told ThePrint. On 14 July, MoS Home (Rural) Prakash Bhoyar told the Legislative Council that the state government was thinking of bringing in a new law against beef smuggling and also planning to withdraw cases against gau rakshaks by way of a new law to protect cow progeny. Also Read: Fodder for thought: Modi govt's cow welfare agency has been headless for 4 yrs, Rs 500 cr lying idle 'Will die of hunger' In Maharashtra, the slaughter of bovine is prohibited, and a certificate from a veterinary is required to slaughter buffaloes. This certificate needs to specifically mention that the buffalo is 'unfit' for milking and is not pregnant. Most of the 292 livestock markets in Maharashtra are now closed, barring some in Pune and Mumbai. These attract those who want to sell or buy animals for slaughter, and also farmers and traders who want to buy or sell animals either for farming or dairy businesses. The state government last year gave 'Rajyamata' status to cows and also approved the animal husbandry department's proposal to provide Rs 50 daily subsidy per animal to cow shelter operators. Members of the Qureshi community ThePrint spoke to say approximately 300-500 animals are traded at every market, each costing anywhere between Rs 10,000 to over a lakh, depending on the size, age and the fitness of the animal. They add that harassment of cattle traders at the hands of cow vigilantes has been steadily rising since the passage of the 2015 legislation. 'There is a lot of hooliganism in the name of gau raksha in the state. The police are not cooperating with us. We are all very scared. Markets used to be full of animals but everything is closed now. We are suffering huge economic losses as well,' said Aziz Qureshi, Nanded district coordinator, AIJQ. 'About 50,000 people from our community are in this trade in the entire district. They are saying we will die of hunger but think twice before going back into the trade,' he added. Community members said the bandh started about a month ago with the Nagpur market and slowly spread across the state. They also alleged that while police do not register their complaints, FIRs are filed against members of the Qureshi community instead. Asked to comment on these allegations, minister Kadam said, 'I told them to tell me which particular area they are facing issues with. Won't be happening all over Maharashtra. So they need to give me a particular area or organisation troubling them. I will make sure that I tell the police to act accordingly. But except for the letter, I haven't received any official complaint. If need be, we will talk to them again.' The Qureshi community is demanding strict action against vigilantes/extortionists and proper implementation of the provisions of sections 6 and 8 of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, and the Transport of Animal Rules, 1978. Another allegation is that the animals gau rakshaks confiscate are taken to 'gaushalas' (cow shelters) operated by the government. Cattle trader Moinuddin Qureshi alleged his truck containing seven buffaloes was taken away by gau rakshaks on 6 June and an FIR was registered against him and the truck driver. ThePrint has seen a copy of the FIR. The animals were later sent to a gaushala while the police investigated the matter and found nothing suspicious, he said. According to Moinuddin, the police then wrote to the gaushala saying that 'during the investigation, we found that Qureshi has all the documentation including fitness certificate for the buffaloes' and that the complaint was made out of a 'misunderstanding'. ThePrint has seen a copy of the letter. However, Moinuddin is yet to get his livestock back. 'In fact, now the gaushala has gone to local court against us and refusing to give us our animals … Everything is legal, we have the documents but only because of our religion, we are being harassed.' Other cattle traders too said once the animals are sent to the local gaushala, it is very difficult to recover them. 'Behind every animal, the government gives a certain amount for nourishment of these animals at the gaushalas. But when our farmers and traders are trying to get back the animals from gaushalas, they are not there. So where did our animals go? Where are they taking them?' asked AIJQ acting president Javed Qureshi. Shaikh agreed. He was told his animals were taken to Badnapur gaushala. 'But even two days back when I went there, I did not see my animals there. Don't know where they are. I might never get them back now.' (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: BJP's 'cow protection brigade' gets official stamp in new animal husbandry ministry
Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bogus sim cards used to help history-sheeter evade arrest
Rajkot: The Junagadh local crime branch (LCB) busted a state-wide racket involving the use of bogus sim cards, after they were found to help a history-sheeter, who had also contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, evade arrest in a Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organized Crime (GujCTOC) Act case. Police seized 1,001 activated sim cards, sourced by illegal means such as fabricating documents from outside Gujarat, and arrested two people. A hunt for several others is on. Police said the absconding accused, Dhiren Kariya, a listed bootlegger, was kept out of police's reach by his wife Nirbha and son Param, who used these sim cards for communication with him. Investigators found that the sim cards had been procured with the help of a relative, Sandip alias Banty, a resident of Vadodara, and another associate, Dharam alias Dhaval Mithiya from Junagadh. Three such sim cards were used to communicate with Kariya — one by his wife in an iPhone, and two by Param, who handed one over to an associate. One sim card was used to operate a WhatsApp account in Kariya's name. An LCB team arrested Bharat Parmar, 38, a resident of Amipura village in Radhanpur, and recovered 1,001 activated sim cards from him. These cards are suspected to have been used for various illegal activities. An offence under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at B Division police station and further investigation has been handed over to the special operations group.
