Pocso court acquits man in stalking case
A 28-year-old man who was booked for stalking a 15-yearold schoolgirl in Colaba in 2015 has been acquitted by a special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) court.
During the trial, the teen failed to identify the accused in the court, hence he was acquitted. Mohammed Nazim Rehman, a resident of Colaba, was arrested by the Colaba police on July 14, 2015, when the said incident took place. Rehman runs a cutlery shop.
As per the girl’s parent’s complaint on July 6, 2015, the accused approached the girl and asked her phone number. Because of this she got scared and disturbed. The accused approached the girl again on July 14, 2015, when the teen was headed home from her tuition classes along with a friend. This time, the accused allegedly took her phone number from her friend. The girl got scared again and called her parents who reached the spot after some time.
The accused, along with other boys who were at the spot, fled
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after the girl’s parents reached there. The boys entered a hotel and subsequently were caught by the police who arrived there on the parent’s phone call. Only Rehman was arrested while other boys were allowed to go.
Rehman was charged with sections 354D (stalking) of Indian Penal Code and 12 (sexual harassment) of the Pocso Act.
The witnesses and the prosecution presented in the court failed to substantiate the findings of the police investigation.
In the cross-examination of the girl, she clearly admitted that she was not certain whether the accused shown to her (by the police and the parents) is the same person.
Advocate Sunil Pandey representing the accused stated that allegations were not made out against the accused and also there was no sexual intent in the matter. The prosecution failed to get any evidence against the accused, Pandey said.
M H More, special judge Pocso Act, after hearing both the sides, came to the conclusion that there is no solid and direct evidence against the accused and he was acquitted of all the charges.