Thane, Oct 3 A special POCSO court in Thane sentenced a man to five years rigorous imprisonment for creating a fake Facebook profile of a minor girl and sexually harassing her and her friends by transmitting obscene photos, text messages, and video clips.
Judge Dr. Anita S Newase, in her order of September 30, convicted Mangesh Ishwardas Tambe, a resident of Rahuri in Ahilyanagar district, under Indian Penal Code (IPC), Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Information Technology Act.
He was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 50,000 under Section 67-A of the IT Act, three years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 under Section 354-A of the IPC. The sentences are to run concurrently. The fine amount is to be disbursed to the minor victims as compensation.
The incident took place between December 2017 and March 15, 2018, as per the prosecution.
The 16-year-old complainant, residing in Uttan, Bhayandar (West), received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number, with the sender falsely identifying himself as "Vidya," leading to the victim initiating a normal conversation.
However, when the sender began transmitting obscene text messages and vulgar photographs, the victim grew suspicious, made a video call, and discovered the sender was a male, after which she blocked the number, the prosecution said.
The accused subsequently created a fake Facebook profile in the victim's name, sending friend requests, vulgar texts, and sexually explicit photos and videos to her 12-year-old friend, her cousin sister, and other acquaintances.
After a complaint was lodged at Uttan Sagari police station, Tambe was held on March 22, 2018.
While convicting him, the court said the offence of sexual assault and harassment is a crime not only against the victims, but also against the entire society.
It destroys the entire psychology of the woman of any age and pushes her into deep emotional crisis, the court observed.
Advocate Sandip Yewale, representing the accused, pleaded for leniency on the grounds that Tambe was young, the sole earning member of his family, and had already spent over five years in jail during the trial.
Taking into consideration the set-off period under Section 428 of the CrPC for the period undergone in detention (March 29, 2018 to May 2, 2023, and September 4, 2026 to September 30, 2026), the court directed the destruction of the seized material objects, including mobile handsets and pen drives, following the expiration of the appeal period.
