Man gets seven years in jail for kidnapping teenage girl

Thane: A 35-year-old man from Wada has been sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment by a Thane court for kidnapping a 14-year-old girl in 2015. District Judge SC Khalipe also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict Radheyshyam Jagdish Chaurasiya, originally from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh.

Upon realisation of the fine the same will be paid as compensation to the victim, the Judge said in his order. Prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale informed the court that on July 22, 2015, the accused kidnapped the girl and took her to Shirdi and later to Haridwar with an intention of marrying her.

Chaurasiya, along the girl, was caught at the Haridwar railway station by the local police and handed over to the Wada police, the court was informed. A case was then registered at the Wada police station.
Defence counsel S J Patankar contested the claim, saying the accused was victim’s cousin brother and had taken the girl to Haridwar for religious purposes.

However, the judge, in his order, said, “I conclude that the prosecution has proved beyond all reasonable doubt that the victim was below 18 years and she was taken by the accused without her father’s consent to Shirdi and Haridwar”.