Stepdad gets life for raping teen, killing her baby

MUMBAI: Five years after Kalyan resident Walmiki Thorat was arrested for raping his 13-year-old stepdaughter, and strangling the newborn baby born following the rape, the Bombay high court upheld a trial court’s order sentencing him to life imprisonment. A division bench of Justice Vijaya Kapse-Tahilramani and Justice Anil Menon held Thorat guilty of rape and murder.
“We find that there is sufficient evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Thorat raped his stepdaughter. Thereafter, his stepdaughter got pregnant and delivered a baby girl. When the victim girl came home with the baby, he throttled the neck of the baby girl and killed her,” said the judges. “All charges are proved beyond reasonable doubt. Thus, we find no merit in the appeal [against trial court’s verdict] and it is dismissed.”
The rape survivor testified against her stepfather before the police and during the trial in court. The crucial evidence that nailed Thorat was the result of a DNA test of the dead baby. “The DNA report shows that the deceased baby was the child of the victim and Thorat. This is a strong incriminating circumstance against him,” the court said.
Thorat had married the rape survivor’s mother after her husband’s death. The case dates back to November 2007 when, on a Friday, he was on leave and her mother was away at work, Thorat raped her. She was repeatedly raped every Friday when he was at home and her mother at work.
Months later, the pregnancy came to light. When the mother confronted Thorat, he threatened her to keep quiet. In January 2009, she delivered a baby girl. The day she brought the baby back, Thorat allegedly strangled the newborn to death and asked his wife to hide the body. Alerted by an anonymous caller, the police reached the house and found the body. The girl told the police that the stepfather had raped her and killed her baby.