Kerala court sentences fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal to life imprisonment in POCSO case

A Kerala court on June 17 sentenced fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal to life imprisonment in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) for sexually abusing a minor girl..Judge K Soman said that the Mavunkal committed repeated rape on the minor girl by exploiting the financial position of her family. He also aborted her pregnancy at his residence..The Additional District and Session Court was considering a case against Mavunkal under various provisions of the POCSO Act and Sections 370 (4), 342, 354 A (1) (iii), 354 (A), 376 (2) (n), 313, 506 (i) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)..As per the prosecution case, the accused had repeatedly raped the survivor, a 17-year-old minor girl several times and had also unlawfully aborted the pregnancy of the minor who had conceived due to rape. The mother of the minor girl and her brother were employees under the accused and were living in a dilapidated house. Taking advantage of the miserable condition of the family, the accused offered to construct a house and offered to teach the minor girl cosmetology by misrepresenting himself as a cosmetology doctor.The accused then showed obscene pictures to the minor girl on his iPad and touched her body with sexual intent. Thereafter, the accused committed rape on the minor girl several times and impregnated her. Subsequently, he illegally terminated her pregnancy by administering a tablet to the minor girl misrepresenting it to be a vitamin tablet, and also inserting another tablet inside her vagina.He continued to sexually abuse her till she turned major, the prosecution further alleged..Mavunkal denied all the allegations and contended that his case was falsely created at the instance of his rivals.He further contended that the minor girl had given a statement to the Crime Branch in connection with a cheating case registered against him but had not raised the allegation of rape against him at that .The Court after considering the facts and circumstances of the case and the evidence on record, found Mavunkal to have committed repeated rape on the minor girl.Therefore, it convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹5.25 lakh on him.