A sessions court in Thane, Maharashtra, sentenced Bangladeshi national Joshim Sobur Mulla, 26, to eight years of rigorous imprisonment on October 24, 2025, for raping two minor girls trafficked from Bangladesh. The verdict, made public on Friday, also imposed five-year terms on Mulla’s wife, Murshida, and associate Jana Rabul Mulla for illegally residing in India under violations of the Passport and Foreigners Acts.

Additional Sessions Judge Parag A. Sane at Belapur ordered the deportation of all three convicts to Bangladesh upon completion of their sentences. The case originated in 2017 when an NGO tip-off led Thane police to rescue the victims from a suspected prostitution network in the region.

Prosecutors charged Joshim under the Indian Penal Code for rape but failed to secure convictions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act due to insufficient proof of the survivors’ ages. Charges of human trafficking, procuring minors for illicit intercourse, and related offenses against Joshim, Murshida, and Jana were dropped for lack of evidence.

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Special Public Prosecutor Yogendra Patil presented testimony from 12 witnesses during the trial. However, the court acquitted five additional accused—allegedly linked to the exploitation racket—citing “very weak and unreliable” evidence on counts of kidnapping, trafficking, and POCSO violations.

The judgment underscores persistent challenges in cross-border trafficking cases, where documentation gaps often hinder stringent child-protection laws. Authorities confirmed the survivors have received rehabilitation support, while police continue probes into broader networks facilitating illegal migration and exploitation along the India-Bangladesh corridor.

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