Vasai college student gets 3-year jail for molesting 12-year-old girl

MUMBAI: The sessions court on Monday sentenced a Vasai college student to three years rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing and molesting a 12-year-old school girl in April, 2015.
Sessions judge RM Pradhan also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on Lala Khan (now 20). The incident happened on April 7, 2015, when the girl was walking home from school after her annual examination around 10.15 am.She was accompanied by a friend.
Khan, who stays in the same locality as the girl does, used to harass her by following her when she returned from school. He would pass lewd comments at her but she ignored him. She initially did not inform her parents about the harassment. On the day of the incident, Khan intercepted her on the road and touched her inappropriately. He even hit her on the head. The girl ran to her home and narrated the incident to her mother who lodged a complaint with Valiv police in Vasai (East).
When police went to Khan’s home after the complaint was lodged, he had fled. The college student was later arrested from the locality and lodged in Thane jail.
He was booked for molestation under section 354 of IPC. He was also charged under sections 8 and 10 of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act.
Public prosecutor Ujwala Moholkar examined witnesses including the girl, her mother and the friend who was with her when the crime happened. “The court treated it as a serious offence as a school going girl was molested,” said Moholkar.
Moholkar said the girl had two more papers to write after the incident, her statement was recorded by the police after the annual exams were over.