Sambalpur: POCSO court judge Abhilash Senapati convicted Thursday Jogendra Pinga, a resident of Narimunda village in this district for raping a minor girl in 2017 and sentenced him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment (RI). The judge also slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the convict. Failure to pay the penalty will mean an additional one year in prison for Pinga, the judge said.
According to the police report, the heinous crime was committed on the evening of November 18, 2017. The victim, a resident of the same village, had gone to a desolate field to answer nature’s call.
Taking advantage of the situation, the convict took her to a secluded place and raped her. He also threatened to kill the girl, if she disclosed the matter to anyone. However, after returning home, the minor girl disclosed her ordeal to her mom. The family members of the girl then complained to the Gobindpur police station and a case (No 153/2017) was registered under Section 376 (2) (I) and 6 of the POCSO Act. Police then arrested Pinga and produced him in court.