Man gets 20 years in jail for raping 15-year-old daughter
Thane (PTI): A special fast track court in Kalyan in Thane sentenced a man to 20-year rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping his 15-year-old daughter.
Special (POCSO) Judge VA Patravale found him guilty under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC). It also fined the man Rs 28,000, which is to be given to the victim as compensation.
As per the prosecution, the victim, who had been living with her grandparents following her mother's demise, moved in with her father a few months prior to the incident.
The abuse began with sexual advances in September 2019 and culminated in rape on October 13, 2019, while the girl's stepmother was away. The accused subsequently kept the victim under strict surveillance, changing mobile passwords and escorting her to school to prevent her from seeking help, the prosecution told court.
The matter came to light on November 5, 2019, when the victim managed to flee to her maternal aunt's residence following further harassment, leading to the registration of an FIR at Manpada police station.
In its order, the court said the evidence of the victim of a sexual assault stands almost on par with the evidence of an injured witness and to an extent is even more reliable.
"The court must, while evaluating evidence, remain alive to the fact that in a case of rape, no self-respecting woman would come forward in a court just to make a humiliating statement against her honour such as is involved in the commission of rape on her," the order stated.
The testimony of the victim in such cases is vital and unless there are compelling reasons which necessitate looking for corroboration of her statement, the courts should find no difficulty to act on the testimony of a victim of sexual assault alone to convict an accused, it added.
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Mangaluru police flag fake ‘sea breeze marathon’ Instagram campaign, urge public caution
Mangaluru: Police have flagged a fake marathon campaign being widely circulated on Instagram under the name “Sea Breeze Marathon” and warned the public against falling prey to a suspected cyber fraud network.
The purported post, which began circulating on April 3, claims to offer prize money of Rs 2.51 lakh for a 5 km race, Rs 3.5 lakh for a 10 km race, and Rs 5 lakh for a 21 km race. It also urges participants to register in advance. However, officials have clarified that no such marathon has been organised in Mangaluru.
The poster also promises to provide participants with free sports shoes, goodies bags and refreshments, in order to lure people.
Police suspect that the poster is part of a cyber fraud attempt designed to lure users into registering through fraudulent links.
Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy cautioned that registering through such links could lead to mobile phone hacking and financial loss.
The campaign is also being amplified through a viral video featuring songs from popular movies, along with visuals of people participating in marathons, allegedly sourced from existing footage, giving the content a sense of authenticity and misleading people.
When Vartha Bharati conducted a reverse image search, the video was traced back to marathons held in Mumbai, further confirming that the circulating content is not related to any event in Mangaluru.
Speaking to Vartha Bharati, Commissioner Reddy confirmed that the campaign is fake and that no organisation has approached authorities seeking permission for conducting a marathon, including traffic or road clearances.
“So far, no complaint has been lodged, and no victim of the campaign has been reported,” he said.
