Thane, Nov 7 (PTI) A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 44-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his minor stepdaughter.

Special Judge Dr Rachna Tehra, hearing cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the accused in the order passed on Monday.

Special Public Prosecutor Sandhya Mhatre told the court that the accused, resident of Mumbra area in Thane, committed the offence in 2020, when the victim was six years' old.

When the child's mother used to go out for work, the accused would also drive away the victim's nine-year-old brother while threatening him. He would then repeatedly rape the stepdaughter.

The accused also burnt the private and other body parts of the victim with candle and matchsticks, the prosecution said.

The judge accepted the prosecution theory and held the accused guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, POCSO Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act-2015.

Five prosecution witnesses, including the victim and her mother, were examined in the case, police said.

The judge in her order observed that the prosecution has successfully proved all the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt, for which he needs to be convicted and sentenced, Mhatre said. PTI COR GK