Thane: Child Molester from Diva Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Second Offense

In a disturbing case of repeated child abuse, 41-year-old Ganesh Balaram Patil from Sabegaon, Diva, Thane has been sentenced to 7 years in prison for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl. This marks Patil's second conviction for a similar offense, highlighting a troubling pattern of predatory behavior.

The incident occurred in 2021 when Patil lured the victim, who was playing in front of her school in Sabegaon, to a nearby construction site where he sexually abused her. The case was registered at Mumbra Police Station under crime register number 1144/2021, invoking sections 363, 354, 342, 506 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 8, 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

What makes this case particularly alarming is Patil's history of such crimes. In 2009, he was convicted of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl and served a 7-year sentence. Shortly after his release, he committed this new offense in 2021.

The trial was conducted in the Thane court as Special Case 57/2022. In its judgment, the court found Patil guilty of offenses under Sections 363, 354, 342, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Sections 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 of the POCSO Act. For the offenses under Sections 9 and 10 of the POCSO Act, the court sentenced Patil to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of 10,000 rupees.