Mumbai: A special POCSO court has sentenced a 41-year-old laundry shop owner from Jogeshwari to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy over two years, between 2015 and 2017. The trauma led the boy to attempt suicide, but he was saved by his sister.

The victim’s family regularly gave their clothes for ironing and washing at the accused’s shop. His father stated that the boy was once good at studies and active in sports but later became withdrawn, neglected his academics, and avoided social interactions. Despite repeated questioning, he refused to speak.

Concerned about his mental health, the family started his psychiatric treatment at Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Centre in December 2016. On January 8, 2017, after delivering clothes to the accused’s shop, the boy refused to eat and cried without explanation. Two days later, his sister caught him attempting to drink phenyl in the kitchen and immediately rushed him to Trauma Care Hospital.

During hospitalisation, Dilasa Project counsellors interacted with the boy. On January 12, 2017, he finally disclosed that the accused had been abusing him since August 2015, when he was in the 9th standard. Out of fear, he had remained silent. The accused would call him into the shop, close the doors, and sexually assault him whenever he had the chance.

A case was registered on January 13, 2017, and the accused was arrested the same day, remaining in prison since then. While awarding the minimum punishment, the court considered that the accused too had school-going children but imposed a Rs 50,000 fine, which will be given to the victim for his rehabilitation and treatment.