Mumbai, June 15 (UNI) A special POCSO court here has awarded 20 years' imprisonment to a 53-year-old man for his involvement in sexually abusing three minor boys, below age of 12 years, from his housing society in Kandivali area of the city.

While convicting the accused, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000, of which Rs 15,000 is to be paid as compensation to one of the victims.

The abuse came to light when one of the victims informed his mother that on December 24, 2018, the accused had lured him with chocolates, blindfolded him under the pretext of playing hide and seek and assaulted him.

The mother lodged a complaint with Charkop police on December 26. Other parents joined her, leading to the arrest of accused the same day.

Since the arrest in 2018, the accused languished in jail.

During the trial, the court examined several witnesses including the victims.

During the deposition in court, one victim identified the accused in the court and told the court that he used to play carrom with the accused, who would sometimes reward him after games and then exploit him under the guise of playing hide and seek.

Another victim could not testify as he died before the trial concluded.

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