Thane man gets 3 years jail for molesting minor daughter

Thane: A local court has sentenced a 60-year- old man to three years simple imprisonment for outraging modesty of his minor daughter.

Additional Sessions Judge V V Bambarde recently sentenced the man after he was found guilty under IPC section 354-B. Public prosecutor Sanjay Londhe, in his submission, told the court that the accused returned to India in 2006 from Saudi Arabia. He started to molest his daughter, who was then studying in class XII. He repeated the offence on several occasions when the victim was alone at home and continued it for nearly four years.

Victim's mother frequently visited doctor owing to her ill health while her two brothers went out for work, he said. The police charged the accused under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 376 (2)(f) (whoever commits rape on a woman when she is under twelve years of age). The accused was arrested in August, 2014, based on complaint filed by his daughter, who later mustered courage to report the offence.

The prosecutor further told the court that the accused touched her daughter inappropriately and threatened her of dire consequences if she disclosed about it to her mother or anyone else.

"After sometime, the accused forced the victim to have intercourse with him and threatened that if does not fulfil his demand, he will stop her education. It was then she confided into her mother," he said.

The judge observed that the accused used criminal force and outraged modesty of his daughter. "He compelled to strip off his own daughter. It is heinous offence. So, I answer point no.1 in the affirmative and hold the accused guilty of offence under section 354-B of IPC," the court said.