Driver gets seven years imprisonment for raping school girl

Thane: A 23-year-old car driver from Navi Mumbai was on Monday sentenced to seven-year rigorous imprisonment by a court here for raping a 12-year-old school student in 2007.

Thane Additional Sessions Judge A S Waghwase awarded the sentence to accused Shivaji Motiram Rathod, holding him guilty under section 376 of the IPC and also section 506 of IPC. He was also imposed with a fine of Rs 5000 failing which he will have to undergo another three months of imprisonment. Additional Public Prosecutor Buleshwar Hinge told the court that the crime took place on February 14, 2007 when the accused, employed as a driver for the car owned by the victim`s maternal uncle, offered to drop her school that morning. The fifth grade victim studied in a school at Vashi in Navi Mumbai. When she was on her way to school, the driver took her to nearby Koparkhairne to his friend`s house and then proceeded to tourist spot Alibaug on a motor cycle where he raped her in a lodge, the court was told. The accused threatened that he would kill her father if the girl revealed anything. It was only on March 09, 2007 when the girl broke her silence, that the matter came to light following which the mother approached the Vashi police. PTI