Thane bus driver sentenced to life for child rape

A court in Thane has sentenced a 39-year-old bus driver to life in prison for serious crimes against a four-year-old girl. The man was found guilty of kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and attempting to murder the child in December 2020. The trial took place under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. Judge D S Deshmukh also fined the convict Rs 60,000, which will be given to the survivor as compensation. The court has referred the case for additional compensation to be considered by the District Legal Services Authority. The prosecutor, Sandhya H Mhatre, shared details of the crime. On December 20, 2020, the bus driver took the girl from outside her home. He then assaulted her and tried to strangle her. Believing she was dead, he hid her body in a bag and left it on the roadside. Passersby spotted the bag and rescued the girl. After returning home, she told her parents about what happened, leading them to file a police report. The accused was arrested the same day.