The Alibaug sessions court on Wednesday sentenced a 22-year-old man to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for raping a six-year-old handicap girl from Taloja, last year.
Around 2 p.m. on March 1, 2018, the victim was lured by the accused Vinod Buddhu Sahani, a resident of Pendhar village in Kalamboli. The accused, who was a neighbour of the victim, showed her a chocolate and called her home. The girl was then raped by the accused and dropped outside her house.
“Hearing the child’s cries, her mother rushed out and found her bleeding below her waist. When she asked her what happened, the girl pointed her finger towards the accused, who was standing nearby. The mother then took her to hospital, and later lodged a complaint at Taloja police station following which Sahani was arrested,” public prosecutor Ashwini Bandiwadekar-Patil said.
The child had deformity in her leg from birth, and hence used to limp. “A total of six witnesses were produced in the case. The statements of the victim and the medical officer, who had checked her, were the most important ones. The medical reports clearly indicated hymen rupture, which too was a crucial evidence,” Ms. Bandiwadekar-Patil said.
The accused, a labourer, was arrested under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC and Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
