A Thane court has sentenced a man to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor Thane girl, who considered him her "mama" (maternal uncle), observing the crime was "heinous and disgusting" and needed to be dealt with a heavy hand, reported news agency PTI.

The 54-year-old accused does not appear to have honoured the relationship of a foster maternal uncle with the Thane girl, special POCSO court judge Ruby U Malvankar said in an order on July 5, reported PTI.