The sessions court convicted a 32-year-old watchman for raping a woman and sentenced him to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment.
“The court convicted the accused Pramod Upadhyay for raping the victim and stealing her belongings,” said an official from the suburban Powai police station.
According to the prosecution, the victim, a 28-year-old dance teacher, lived with her brother in a building in Powai where Upadhyay worked as a watchman.
On January 23 last year, she went out with friends for dinner and returned very late in an inebriated condition.
The watchman took advantage of her condition and raped her in the building’s parking area and left her there, said the official.
The victim’s brother saw her when he was returning from morning walk.
The victim could not identify the accused but Upadhyay was arrested on the basis of CCTV footage which showed him walking with the woman towards the parking area.
The police also took the help of a dental expert who concluded that bite mark on the victim’s body matched with the the pattern and dimensions of Upadhyay’s teeth.
The special judge for women’s cases Vrushali Joshi upheld the prosecution’s case and sentenced Upadhyay to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment for rape and seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for theft. Both the sentences would run concurrently.
