Man gets 10 years 'rigorous imprisonment' for unnatural sex with teenage boy

Thane: A special court in Maharashtra's Thane on Tuesday sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for having unnatural sex with a 13-year-old boy in 2022.

Special judge hearing cases pertaining to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, D S Deshmukh, also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict - Vishal Raghuveer Dhulgach.

The incident occurred on April 5, 2022, when the 24-year-old accused, working as a sweeper in Mira Road locality in the district, took the victim to his house under the pretext of showing him some videos. He then indulged in unnatural sex with the victim and threatened him not to reveal anything to anyone, the prosecution said.

The boy did not talk about it. But a few days later, he experienced pain in his private parts and told about it to his mother. She initially took him to two local doctors and then to a surgeon who confirmed that the boy has been sexually assaulted. After that, his family approached the police and lodged a complaint, based on which he was arrested.

The family then approached the police and filed a complaint, based on which the accused was arrested.

The court convicted him under sections of the POCSO and section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The judge noted that the prosecution has successfully proved all the charges against Dhulgach.

Special public prosecutor Sandhya H Mhatre said a total of eight prosecution witnesses, including the victim, his mother and the surgeon, were examined.