Bhubaneswar, March 30 A special court for crimes against women and children (POCSO) here on Monday convicted a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a 13-year-old girl in August 2020.
Saroj Kumar Sahoo, additional sessions judge, POCSO court, Bhubaneswar, pronounced the verdict after examining 12 witnesses and 10 documents, a government counsel said.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict, Ajaya Parida (25). If the fine is not paid, the convict will undergo an additional five months in jail, the court ordered.
The court directed the district legal services authority, Khurda, to provide a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the girl.
According to the prosecution, Parida raped the minor on August 14, 2020, in her home when her parents were out for some work. The victim and her elder sister were at home. Taking advantage of the situation, Parida, a neighbour, raped the girl, the police said.
Parida also threatened to kill her if she disclosed the incident to her family, they said.
When the victim's mother came to know about the crime, she reported the matter to Laxmisagar police station.
On the basis of the complaint lodged by the victim's mother, a case was registered at Laxmisagar police station here. The convict was arrested immediately.