Mumbai: A special POCSO court in Mumbai sentenced a 57-year-old auto rickshaw driver to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a mentally challenged minor girl in July 2017.
According to the prosecution, the victim, who lived with her family in Malad (East), went missing on the night of July 15, 2017. After returning on July 18, the girl, upon medical examination, disclosed that she had been assaulted by Indrakant Badri Jha. She had wandered through various locations, including sleeping in parked rickshaws, before meeting Jha, who took her to a hotel near Madh-Marve beach and raped her.
The police arrested Jha and another driver, Rajendra Goud, based on the victim’s testimony. The court found the victim’s statement credible and convicted Jha, while acquitting Goud of all charges.
