Man gets 14 yrs in jail for minor’s rape

Surat: A 25-year-old man was convicted by a local court for raping a 16-year-old girl and sentenced to 14 years in jail under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act on Tuesday. The accused, who is married and father of a child, developed relationship with the minor girl after promising marriage and raped her in October 2016.
Pravin Lanjewar, a resident of Dabholi village, was booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code for kidnapping; rape; kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her to marriage and Pocso. Prosecution could not prove kidnapping charges against Lanjwar and hence he was convicted for rape and sexual assault only.

He was sentenced to 10 years in jail for rape and 14 years imprisonment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault under Pocso.

Lanjewar was tenant in a house close to the rape survivor’s house where she lived with her family. The accused lived with his family and the rape survivor used to come to play with his baby often. The accused developed friendship with the girl and started meeting her alone.

She went missing on October 23, 2016. Her family lodged a complaint at Chowk Bazaar police station. Since Lanjewar was also missing, the girl’s family named him as prime suspect. The girl was found after 20 days. The rape survivor told police that she was taken by Lanjewar to his native village near Nagpur in Maharashtra.

“The court observed that despite being married and aware of consequences of his act, the man committed the crime against the girl for which he was being sentenced to jail,” said Dipesh Dave, public prosecutor.