Phulbani: A special POCSO court in Kandhamal district sentenced Monday a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl three years ago. Additional District and Sessions Judge and special POCSO judge Sanjiv Kumar Behera sentenced Sunil Digal of Pabingia village under Phiringia PS to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 40,000 on him. In default, Digal will have to undergo an additional jail term of one year. An order has also been issued to provide compensation of Rs 6 lakh to the victim.
According to sources, the accused Sunil was a driver in a private company when he met the girl in Raikia. Taking advantage of the situation while nobody else was at the victim’s residence September 3 in 2019, the accused took the girl with him for a ride. Later he took the girl to his residence and raped her. Digal even confined the girl at his residence and raped her a number of times.
However, the girl informed her parents about her ordeal after she managed to escape and returned to her house September 12. Following the case (no 61/19), which was registered by the girl’s father, the accused was forwarded to court.