Stalker gets 1-year RI for saying 'I love you' to minor

MUMBAI: A special Pocso court convicted and sentenced a 20-year-old man to one year rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly following a 13-year-old girl and saying "I love you" in 2018.
"Merely because the girl admitted that her father was saying that the accused is a nice boy, is no ground to reject her testimony. The girl clarified that she could not state the incident in detail before the police, so she stated it before the Magistrate. The incidents narrated by her show that the accused used to stalk her, and say 'I Love You' to her, although, she had shown her disinterest in him," special court said.
The accused was also fined Rs 13,000. The stalking took place in 2018. The accused used to reside in the girl's neighbourhood. The court refuted the accused's defence that since he had not repaid Rs 50,000 borrowed from the girl's family and due to quarrels over public water pipe, he was falsely implicated in the case.
"The defence raised by the accused is not at all digestible for the simple reason that no mother would stake the character of her teenage daughter only on the ground that a person failed to repay loan given by her and due to quarrel on public water tap," the court said.