POCSO court in Thane sentences man to life imprisonment for gang rape of teenager

Thane, Nov 7 (PTI) A special court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has sentenced a man to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life after convicting him in a case of gang rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

In his order on Thursday, Additional Sessions and Special Judge (POCSO) N K Karande in Bhiwandi also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the 25-year-old convict Sagar Janu Dhangate, a resident of neighbouring Palghar district.

The case involves three other accused, who were juveniles at the time of the crime. That matter is currently being heard before the Juvenile Justice Court.

According to Special Public Prosecutor Vijay B Munde, Dhangate and three minors raped a 17-year-old girl when she was returning home after fetching water from a river on January 18, 2019.

The girl, then a student of an Ashram school, had gone to her family in Palghar district to assist them with ration purchases when she was sexually assaulted. After learning about the crime, her mother approached the police.

Nine prosecution witnesses, including the survivor, were examined in the POCSO court, which held that the prosecution had successfully proved the grave charges of gang rape and POCSO against the adult accused.

The court then handed the life sentence to the accused Dhangate. PTI COR NR