Bhubaneswar: A special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) court in Phulbani on Thursday sentenced a person to undergo 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a 15-year-old minor girl.
The convict has been identified as Dhaneswar Kahnar.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on him and made it clear that Kanhar would undergo an additional imprisonment of 14 months if the fine was not paid.
Going by the petition, the incident occurred under the Tikabali police jurisdiction area, where the minor girl was staying with her elder sister.
On March 11, 2024, the elder sister had stepped out for some work, leaving the minor girl alone at home. Taking advantage of the situation, the accused Dhaneswar Kahnar, entered the house and raped the girl.
When the elder sister returned home, she caught the accused in the act and tried to apprehend him. However, he managed to flee the scene.
On basis of a complaint filed by the victim’s elder sister, Tikabali police registered a case and arrested the accused Kanhar.
Today, the Phulbani POCSO court pronounced its verdict, convicting the accused based on the statements of witnesses, medical reports, and other evidence.
In addition to the sentence, the court directed the Legal Services Authority to provide Rs 7 lakh compensation to the victim.
