Jajpur: A man was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 20 years by a special POCSO court on Wednesday for kidnapping and raping a minor girl in Odisha’s Jajpur district in 2019.
Special POCSO court Judge Janaki Biswal, besides awarding the jail term for convict Purnachandra Mallick, also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000.
He will have to undergo further imprisonment of six months in case he fails to pay the penalty amount, according to public prosecutor Rajiv Mohanty.
Ac per the case, the school girl was kidnapped on October 31, 2019 at a place under Panikoili police limits in Jajpur district when she was going to school after having lunch at home during recess. As the road was isolated, the man forcibly took her to his house and raped her. He also threatened her with dire consequences, in case she reveals the incident to anyone.
After escaping from the clutches of the accused and coming back home, the girl told her father about her plight. Her father lodged an FIR with the local police the next day.
The court delivered the verdict on the basis of the statements made by at least 20 witnesses and other evidence.
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