A 60-year-old man has been sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment by a court in Maharashtra's Thane district for molesting a minor girl last year.
In an order passed on December 15, Thane district judge G P Shirsat convicted Laxmanprasad Mitthu Prasad, from Kopri in Navi Mumbai, and awarded the sentence. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 1,000 on him.
Public prosecutor Sanjay Londhe told the court that the incident had taken place at Kopri Talav Park, a public garden, in December last year.
A security guard at the park spotted the girl sitting on Prasad's lap on a bench. He initially thought that she was his granddaughter. However, after some time, he saw the accused touching her inappropriately and molesting her, the prosecutor said.
When the guard approached them and enquired about the girl, Prasad became nervous. The victim told him that she was given Rs 10 by Prasad, who asked her to accompany him to the park, Londhe told the court.
A complaint was registered against Prasad, following which he was booked under the Indian Penal Code Section 354 -- assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty -- and Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
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