Bangladeshi man jailed for 8 years in rape case; two more get 5 years over illegal stay in India

Thane, Oct 31 (PTI) A sessions court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has sentenced a Bangladeshi national to eight years in prison after holding him guilty in a rape case.

In his order of October 24, a copy of which was made available on Friday, Additional Sessions Judge, Belapur, Parag A Sane also handed 5-year imprisonment to the man’s wife and another person for illegally staying in India.

All three convicted individuals are to be deported to Bangladesh upon the completion of their sentences.

According to the prosecution, Joshim Sobur Mulla (26) was accused of raping two minor girls trafficked from Bangladesh. Acting on a tip-off by an NGO, the police had rescued the survivors in 2017.

While the court convicted Joshim for rape under the Indian Penal Code, it did not hold him guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as the prosecution could not prove the age of the two female survivors.

The court also dropped charges of human trafficking and procuring girls for illicit intercourse against Joshim, his wife Murshida and one Jana Rabul Mulla.

Besides convicting Joshim in the rape case, the court held that Murshid and Jana had violated the Passport and Foreigners Acts and sentenced them to 5 years of imprisonment.

Special Public Prosecutor Yogendra Patil said 12 prosecution witnesses were examined during the trial.

Five other persons, who were accused of being involved in a prostitution racket that exploited the two Bangladeshi survivors, were acquitted of all charges, including kidnapping, trafficking, and offences registered under POCSO.

The judge found the evidence against these co-accused to be “very weak in nature” and “not reliable”. PTI COR NR