Baripada: A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisoment for raping a minor girl in 2017. The order was passed on Friday by a Special Fast Track POCSO Court in Mayurbhanj, Odisha.
Judge Santosh Kumar Nayak also ordered Mangal Soren, a resident of the Rahdigoda village under Badampahad police station, to pay Rs 20,000 as fine, failing which he will serve 15 more months behind the bars. The Court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to pay Rs 4 lakh as compensation to the survivor.
Judge Nayak went through the statements of the survivor and witnesses, medical reports and the police’s submissions before declaring Soren guilty of the crime.
The incident occurred in January 2017 when the minor girl’s family had gone to the market, leaving her alone at home. Soren took advantage of the situation and raped the girl.
The police also submitted in court that Soren even attempted to kill the girl when she screamed. However, she was saved after her screams alerted locals. The family filed a complaint at Badampahad police station following which Soren was arrested.
It took eight years for the Fast Track Court to convict and sentence him.
