Thane, Oct 18: A court in Maharashtra’s Thane district sentenced a 51-year-old woman to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for forcing a minor girl into prostitution.
Additional Sessions Judge D S Deshmukh convicted the accused, Kajal Babu Chandan, of multiple serious offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012
A copy of the order dated October 15 was made available on Saturday.
According to the prosecution, the incident came to light on March 30, 2022, after the police received a tip-off that the accused was supplying girls for prostitution. A trap was laid with a bogus customer, and the accused was caught red-handed after accepting the decoy money.
The minor victim, who was 16 years old at the time of the incident, was found accompanying the accused, and the evidence revealed that she had lured the teen under the pretext of buying clothes.
The court found the sole testimony of the victim to be sufficient, noting the emotional toll on the child.
“In this case also, the sole testimony of the victim is sufficient to prove the procuration, inducement and her sexual exploitation at the hands of the accused. Her demeanor during her evidence also shows that she was crying when her evidence was recorded,” it said.
During sentencing, the defence pleaded for leniency, citing the accused’s period of detention. However, the court denied leniency, noting the mandatory minimum sentence for such offences.
The court sentenced the accused to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and imposed a collective fine of Rs 19,000 on her.
The fine amount, if recovered, is to be given to the victim, and the case has been recommended to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Thane, for awarding compensation to the victim. (PTI)
