Latur court gives 21-year-old 20 years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing girl, 8

A special district and sessions court in Latur has sentenced a man to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing an eight-year-old girl. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on him.

The convict is Chumbalya alias Ritesh Rajnand Kasbe, 21, a resident of Wadwal Nagnath in Chakur taluka, Latur district. He committed the crime by luring the girl with the promise of showing her a mobile phone.

Special District and Sessions Judge S. A. Sayyad delivered the verdict on October 22, 2026. The incident took place on February 9, 2025, at Wadwal Nagnath, which falls under the Chakur police station limits. The girl was playing with other children at the time. The accused called her to him, luring her with the promise of showing her a mobile phone, and sexually abused her. The next day, February 10, 2025, the victim's mother filed a complaint at Chakur police station.

The case was investigated by the then sub-inspector Pankaj Nilkanthe. A chargesheet was filed in court on the basis of the evidence collected and the statements of witnesses during the investigation. At the trial, the testimony of eyewitnesses, official panch witnesses, the medical officer and the investigating officer proved crucial. The prosecution produced scientific evidence in court along with oral testimony. On the basis of this evidence, the court held the accused guilty and passed the sentence.

During the trial, the accused made allegations against the victim's mother in his defence. The court, however, did not accept his defence in the face of the statements of the prosecution witnesses and the medical and scientific evidence.

Special Public Prosecutor Adv. Mangesh Mahindrakar argued the case for the state, under the guidance of District Government Pleader Shivkumar Girwalkar. Adv. Someshwar Birajdar, Adv. Vidya Veer and Adv. Pallavi Yadav assisted him. The trial monitoring cell, under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Amol Tambe and Additional Superintendent of Police Mangesh Chavan, also contributed to the proceedings.