Balasore: A court in Odisha’s Balasore district Tuesday convicted a 19-year-old youth on charges of kidnapping and raping a minor girl and sentenced him to 20 years rigorous imprisonment.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 6,000.
Balasore Special Judge POCSO Ranjan Kumar Sutar pronounced the judgment after convicting Sukuar Singh from Madhupuria village, under Berhampur (Nilgiri) police station limits, for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl after kidnapping her. The victim’s parents had filed an FIR April 7.
The court also ordered two years of rigorous imprisonment in case the convict fails to pay the fine.
According to the prosecution, Singh kidnapped the girl while she was attending an opera and held her captive at various locations in Mayurbhanj, including Udla and Kaptipada, where the crime was committed.
“The court pronounced the judgment after examining 15 witnesses and 22 exhibits,” Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda said.
PTI