Thane, May 5 (PTI) A special court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has acquitted three persons in a 2015 human trafficking case, stating that the prosecution failed to examine the minor victim, who was allegedly forced into prostitution, to substantiate the charges.
Additional sessions judge D S Deshmukh acquitted Radheshyam alias Raju Brajkishore Nath, Kamala Ajay Dadhich, and Geeta Gopal Rana of charges under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (PITA), and the POCSO Act, 2012.
According to the prosecution, the police raided a flat in the Hatkesh area of Mira Road on March 16, 2015, rescued a minor girl and seized cash and mobile phones.
Five prosecution witnesses, including the complainant and investigating officers, were examined during the trial. However, the victim and the decoy customer failed to appear in court to give evidence.
“In the absence of the testimony of the victim and bogus customer, it is difficult to hold that the accused had bought and sold the minor victim girl to the male customer with the intent that she would be employed or used for the purpose of prostitution,” the court stated.
It further observed that the prosecution had failed to produce conclusive evidence to prove that the premises were used as a brothel or that the location fell within 200 meters of a religious place. PTI COR ARU
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