Ghaziabad: Man gets 20-yr jail terms for raping colleague’s three minor daughters

The case came to light in April 2022 when the victims, unable to endure the ongoing abuse, confided in their maternal grandmother, who subsequently filed a formal complaint at Tila Morh police station

A Ghaziabad court on Monday sentenced a 32-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping three minor daughters of his female colleague over a three-year period between 2019 and 2022.

The 13-year-old victim testified that Singh first assaulted her in July 2019 while she was studying in Class 9 at a government school in Delhi, threatening her with dire consequences if she disclosed the incidents. (Representational image)

The convict, Mukesh Singh, had been staying as a tenant in the victim’s household and exploited his proximity to systematically abuse the sisters, who were aged 10, 13, and 17 at the time of the assaults.

The case came to light in April 2022 when the victims, unable to endure the ongoing abuse, confided in their maternal grandmother, who subsequently filed a formal complaint at Tila Morh police station.

An FIR was registered against Singh under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape (376), sexual harassment (354A), voluntarily causing hurt (323), and criminal intimidation (506), along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“The arguments and evidence provided by the defence were not able to cast doubt over the prosecution’s case. So, upon entire examination, the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt against Singh under sections 376, 354a, 323, and 506 and provisions of Pocso Act,” the court said in its order.

The court proceedings revealed harrowing details of the prolonged abuse.

The 13-year-old victim testified that Singh first assaulted her in July 2019 while she was studying in Class 9 at a government school in Delhi, threatening her with dire consequences if she disclosed the incidents.

“He also threatened me with dire consequences if I told the incidents to anyone. He would tell me that he had already committed 4-5 murders and his brother is in the police, and nothing would happen if I revealed incidents to anyone… I also told my mother about the incidents, but she did nothing… Thereafter, I approached my maternal grandmother, and she approached the police,” the girl said in her chief examination.

Despite the girls informing their mother about the abuse, no action was taken, compelling them to seek help from their grandmother.

The 10-year-old girl, meanwhile, told the court that Singh used to make her watch porn videos and would subject her to assault. “He used to assault my two sisters as well… I also told the counsellor in the school about the incident. The man also went to my school with my mother after this. Finally, I narrated the ordeal to my grandmother, and she approached the police,” the girl told the court.

The 17-year-old told the court that Singh would sexually assault her when her mother went off for work, and would frequently barge into the bathroom when she was taking a shower.

The mother, who worked with Singh at a hospital, was also named as a suspect in the FIR under charges of criminal intimidation (section 506 of IPC) but was later acquitted after the children expressed their desire to remain with her provided Singh was removed from the household.

The court, presided over by special judge (Pocso) Lal Babu Yadav, noted that the prosecution had successfully proven the case against Singh beyond reasonable doubt, while the evidence against the mother was insufficient to secure a conviction.

The judgment, delivered on September 15, emphasised the severity of the crimes and the lasting trauma inflicted on the victims. Singh’s defence arguments failed to cast doubt on the prosecution’s case, which included detailed testimonies from the survivors and corroborative evidence.

Satish Sharma, the special public prosecutor (Pocso), could not be reached for his comments despite repeated attempts.