Duo sentenced to 20 years RI for raping minor in Thane | Thane News

THANE: The court in Thane took serious note of the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl by two persons, one of whom was disabled, and sentenced them to 20 years in prison.

The convicts include Naresh alias Dadu Ashok Vikhe, 27, and Vijay Babasaheb Tambe, 24, who were sentenced by Justice Ruby U Malvankar.

Special Public Prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale appeared for the prosecution and informed the court that the victim, who was 12 at the time, lived with her siblings at her grandparents’ house.

On a fateful day in October 2019, she had gone to a park with her friend and from there Tambe lured her and took her to the other accused’s hut where she was raped by the accused. The accused gagged her and threatened to kill her when she raised an alarm. Later, he also warned her not to tell anyone anything. After the sexual harassment, she was left at home by the accused Tambe only to be raped multiple times by Vikhe while he made threats to her.

In December 2019, she filed a complaint against the two with the Kalwa police, who were subsequently arrested and detained.

The judge stated in her verdict: “…it appears that both defendants have committed a serious and heinous crime and have ruined the entire life of a child who is only 12 years old, causing irreparable damage that cannot be repaired in any way. At the same time, the fact that both defendants are young people and one of them is also physically disabled are mitigating circumstances that must be taken into account when determining the sentence.”

Along with the verdict, the judge imposed a fine of Rs 26,000 each on the duo.

The judge ordered that the amount of the fine collected should be paid to the victim as compensation and that the judgment should be forwarded to the DLSA for payment of compensation.