Man gets 20-yr RI for kidnap, rape of teen in 2021

Kendrapada: A Kenndrapada court on Friday sentenced a 28-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old girl in 2021.The additional district-cum-special Pocso court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict. In case of non-payment, his sentence will be extended by one year.According to the prosecution, the mother of the survivor, now 20, lodged a police complaint on Oct 31, 2021, alleging that her daughter was kidnapped a day earlier by a neighbour while she was alone at home. Acting on the FIR, police arrested the accused on Nov 25 from a house near the village.Judge Pragyan Paramita Roul convicted the man under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping) and 376 (rape) and Section 6 of the Pocso Act. “The judgment was based on the testimony of 17 witnesses, including the survivor, and medical evidence,” said Manoj Kumar Sahu, special public prosecutor.