Balasore: Special Judge, POCSO Ranjan Kumar Sutar Monday convicted a 33-year-old rape accused and sentenced him to 20 years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) along with a penalty of Rs 5,000. The convict, the judge ordered, would undergo two more years of jail term in case he failed to pay the fine amount. According to the prosecution, Sk. Mantaz of Bagada village in Kasafal under Marine police station had committed the offence against an 8-year-old girl of the same village. The mother of the victim, after learning about the incident, lodged an FIR with police September 28, 2023.
The accused, after taking her daughter to a secluded place by alluring her to fetch chocolate when she was playing in front of her house, committed the offence amidst dense casuarina trees, the mother alleged in her FIR. The police, after registering a case under several relevant sections including 376(3) of IPC, POCSO Act and 3(1) (w), SC/ST (Prevention of atrocities) Act, arrested the accused. He was tried and convicted under Section 6 of POCSO and 376 (AB) of IPC. The court after examining 16 witnesses and 20 exhibits pronounced the verdict. The court also ordered a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the victim girl, to be paid through District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Panda said.