Bhubaneswar: A man was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for raping a minor girl two years ago in Keonjhar.
A fast-track court in Keonjhar also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the accused, Chaturbhuja Patra.
The court delivered the order based on the statements of 15 witnesses and other evidence. The court also directed the District legal service authority to pay the girl Rs 5 lakh as compensation.
In 2021, the minor was abducted by Patra forcefully and sexually assaulted her.
The minor girl was staying at her elder sister’s house. On January 1, 2021, Patra abducted her while she went out of home to attend nature’s call.
Her family searched for the girl everywhere but failed to find her.
Later, they lodged a complaint with the police, based on which police registered a case and launched an investigation.
During the inquiry, police found her in the house of Chaturbhuja. Police rescued the girl and arrested Patra.