Keonjhar: Fast Track Court (FTC) Judge Vijay Kumar Mishra Thursday convicted a 22-year-old youth for raping a 13-year-old girl and sentenced him to 20 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) under section 4 of POCSO Act and slapped a penalty of Rs 10,000 on him. In default of payment of the fine, the accused has been ordered to further undergo six months of RI. The convict has been identified as Tukuna Munda of Shiriabahal village under Telkoi police station. In addition, the court has recommended to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to pay a compensation of `5 lakh to the victim. According to the sources, the incident took place February 25 in 2022, when the minor girl and her younger sister slept along with other girls of the village after having dinner in a house.
Late at night, the accused Tukuna broke into the house and raped the minor after shutting her mouth with his hand. When the other girls who were sleeping nearby woke up after hearing her muffled scream, the accused ran away leaving his torch and sandals there. In the morning, the victim informed his brother about the incident. A complaint was registered February 26 in Telkoi police station. Police investigated the matter after recording the victim’s statement. Later police arrested Tukuna and forwarded him to court. “The Fast Track Court judge pronounced the verdict on the basis of the statements of 31 witnesses and the police investigation report,” said Gyanendra Nath Jena, special public prosecutor.