Jajpur: A Special POCSO Court has sentenced a man to rigorous imprisonment for 20 years for rape of a minor girl in Odisha’s Jajpur district.
As per the case, the man, Prakash Mallik of Binjharpur in the district had lured the 9-year-old girl to accompany him by telling her that he would to take her to her mother in 2022. But he took the minor girl to an abandoned pump house and raped her.
As the girl told her mother about the incident, the latter filed a complaint at Binjharpur police station. The Police registered a case and arrested Prakash. Following investigation, the police filed the chargesheet in the court.
After hearing 22 witnesses and verifying the evidence, ADG-cum-Special POCSO Court Judge Abhijit Palai convicted Prakash for the crime. The court sentenced the convict to rigorous imprisonment for 20 years and imposed a fine of Rs 70,000. In default of payment of fine, Prakash has to undergo RI for 21 months more, the court ordered.
The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to pay a compensation of Rs 7 lakh to the victim girl.
