Thane:
A 49-year-old man was today sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Thane for sexually abusing his two step-children including a minor boy.
Vasai Sessions Court judge R M Joshi handed out the punishment to accused Zakhir Alam Shaikh and directed him to pay a compensation of Rs one lakh each to the children, who are the children of his second wife.
Both the kids-girl, 11 and the boy, 12 -- were being subjected to sexual assault since 2011, the court was told.
Threatened with dire consequences, both the victims kept quiet on the abuse and when they opened up to their mother in June 2013, a complaint was registered against Sheikh, P P Ujwala Moholkar told the court.
The girl was repeatedly raped while unnatural sex was performed on the boy, she said.
The accused, who lived with his second wife and children in Nallasopara after divorcing his first partner was tried under sections 376, 377, 323 and 506 of the IPC and also sections 8 and 10 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
The judge relying on the evidence and the deposition of the two kids held the accused guilty under the Sexual Offences Act and sentenced him to life term.
Sheikh was also held guilty under various other sections of the IPC, for which he was awarded varying terms and fined.