Balasore: Special Judge POCSO Ranjan Kumar Sutar has convicted an accused involved in the kidnapping and rape of a 12-year-old minor girl and sentenced him to undergo 20 years Rigorous Imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 5,000.
The judge further ordered 2 years more jail term in case the convict failed to pay the penalty amount.
The convict identified as Rajendra Jena,24, of village Gopalgaon under Town police station had sexually assaulted the victim of his area after kidnapping her when she went to the local market.
The mother of the victim lodged an FIR with the police on April 7, 2024 and the police following the investigation arrested the accused.
The accused was tried under various sections of IPC and 6 of POCSO Act.
The court after examining 15 witnesses and 26 exhibits pronounced the verdict.
The court further ordered Rs 4 lakh compensation for the victim to be paid through the district legal services authority (DLSA), Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda said.