Phulbani: Special POCSO court judge Sanjit Kumar Behera sentenced Tuesday a man to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment here after convicting him for raping a minor.
The judge also slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict. The convict Bijay Naik (55) will have to undergo an additional 12 months in prison if he fails to pay the fine, the judge ordered.
According to information available, Naik, a resident of G Udayagiri area lured the seven-year-old minor who was playing in front of her house to his shop and raped her December 1, 2020.
He threatened the girl not to disclose the matter to anybody. Initially, the girl did not tell anybody of her ordeal. However, as she developed severe pain, she told her family members of the entire incident.
The next day the victim’s mother lodged a complaint at the G Udayagiri police station. Police then arrested Bijay after registering a case (No- 99/20).
The judge pronounced the judgement after hearing over 20 eyewitnesses, Special Public Prosecutor Asim Praharaj who was pleading the case from the government’s side informed.
PNN