Kendrapada: A Jagatsinghpur court on Friday sentenced a 28-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a minor girl in 2020. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 45,000 on the convict.
Special judge Ajay Kumar Mohanty found the accused guilty under various sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012. The court has directed the Odisha State Legal Services Authority to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the victim.
Special public prosecutor Dolagobinda Das said the case dates back to June 16, 2020, when the 16-year-old girl went missing. The girl’s mother filed a police complaint the next day, suspecting the convict’s involvement. Police investigation revealed that he had kidnapped the minor girl and repeatedly raped her before abandoning her in her village on Dec 28, 2020.
The accused was arrested two days later but escaped from Alipingal sub-jail in April 2022. While on the run, he allegedly murdered his grandmother and injured three others, including a six-year-old child, on Aug 15, 2023. He was re-arrested the same day.
The conviction was based on testimonies from 19 witnesses, including the girl, and medical evidence. If the convict fails to pay the fine, his sentence will be extended by nine months. Cases related to his jailbreak and the murder are still pending in court.