Mumbai: Man who feigned death to avoid trial gets 7-year jail for sexually abusing minor

Photo for representational purpose

Over two years after an accused was booked for sexually abusing a minor feigned his own death to evade trial, a special court on Tuesday sentenced him to seven years in jail.

As per a report in The Indian Express, the court found the 32-year-old guilty under Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for aggravated sexual assault.

After being granted bail in 2015, a death certificate was submitted before the court in 2018 claiming that the accused had died.

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On April 7, 2015, the accused, who lived in the same neighbourhood as the three-year-old victim, had taken her home while she was playing outside and sexually abused her. The victim's mother began looking for her daughter and on finding only one house closed in the vicinity, knocked on it. The accused opened the door and the victim was found inside crying. He was arrested with the help of locals on the same day and was granted bail in August. While he attended trial till April 2018, he stopped coming to court thereafter.

The police had informed the court that the accused had claimed to have gone to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh as his father had passed away but has been absconding since. The court had then issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

In November 2018, a man came to the court stating that he was the accused's brother. He submitted a death certificate and claimed that his brother had died. The court called for a report from the prosecution about this as in case of an accused's death, the proceedings would be stopped.

Officials from the Worli police station went to the accused's hometown and found him alive. He was then rearrested and brought back to the city.