A man has been sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a minor through a fake Facebook profile. The accused posed as ‘Vidya’ on WhatsApp before sending obscene messages and images, and later created a profile in the girl’s name to target her friends and relatives. The court also imposed fines totalling Rs 60,000.
A special POCSO court in Thane, Maharashtra has sentenced a man to five years’ rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a minor girl and her friends after creating a fake Facebook profile in the teenager’s name. Judge Dr Anita S Newase convicted Mangesh Ishwardas Tambe, a resident of Rahuri in Ahilyanagar district, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Information Technology Act., according to news agency PTI.
Fake profile used to target minor
The case relates to incidents reported between December 2017 and March 15, 2018. The 16-year-old complainant, who lived in Uttan, Bhayandar West, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. The sender introduced himself as ‘Vidya’, leading the girl to believe she was speaking to another person. The conversation initially appeared normal. However, the sender later began sending obscene messages and vulgar photographs.
The girl became suspicious and made a video call. She discovered that the person behind the number was a man and blocked him.
According to the prosecution, Tambe then created a fake Facebook profile using the girl’s name. He allegedly used the account to send friend requests, vulgar messages and sexually explicit photographs and videos to the girl’s 12-year-old friend, her cousin and other acquaintances, the PTI report added.
A complaint was subsequently filed at Uttan Sagari police station, following which Tambe was arrested on March 22, 2018.
Court orders five-year jail term
The court sentenced Tambe to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 under Section 67-A of the Information Technology Act. He was also sentenced to three years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 10,000 under Section 354-A of the IPC.
The sentences will run concurrently. The court directed that the fine be given to the minor victims as compensation.
While delivering the verdict, the court observed that sexual assault and harassment affect not only victims but society as a whole, and can push victims into a deep emotional crisis.
Tambe’s lawyer, Sandip Yewale, sought leniency, citing his age, family responsibilities and the period he had already spent in custody. The court considered his detention for the purpose of set-off under Section 428 of the CrPC. It noted custody periods from March 29, 2018 to May 2, 2023, and from September 4, 2026 to September 30, 2026.
The court also ordered the seized mobile phones, pen drives and other material to be destroyed after the appeal period ends.