Keonjhar: A court in Odisha’s Keonjhar district Thursday sentenced a 29-year-old man to life in jail for raping and impregnating a minor girl, who tragically died after delivering a stillborn.
Keonjhar POCSO court judge Bijay Kumar Mishra pronounced the verdict against convict Ansuman Mohapatra after hearing the testimony of 16 witnesses and reviewing medical reports, the public prosecutor (PP) said.
The prosecution said after the victim’s mother passed away, her father remarried, and the convict’s wife took the minor girl to their home.
However, instead of facilitating her education, she employed the victim as domestic help, the PP added.
Upon intervention by local social activists, the victim was relocated to a shelter home, where it was found that she was pregnant.
The victim disclosed that Ansuman had repeatedly assaulted her in the absence of his wife, the PP added.
Tragically, the victim succumbed after delivering the stillborn. Social activist Monika Sahu, who rescued her, filed a case at Keonjhar town police station in June 2021, leading to the arrest of the accused.
PTI