Man gets 20 years RI for raping girl in Odisha’s Balasore

A court in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday convicted a man for raping a minor girl and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment.

Special Judge POCSO (Balasore) Rajan Kumar Sutar also imposed a penalty of Rs 3,000, with the warning that the convict would have to serve two more years if he failed to pay the fine.

According to the prosecution, Mantu Singh (36) of Balijhara village under Berhampur police station raped the 11-year-old girl, following which the victim's mother lodged a complaint on March 18, 2024.

"The complainant said the incident occurred when the accused found her daughter alone at the house of a relative. Based on the allegation, the accused was arrested," said Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda.

He said, "The accused was tried under Section 376(AB) and 6 of the POCSO Act. The court, after examining 11 witnesses and 21 exhibits, pronounced the judgment today."

The court further ordered Rs 4 lakh in compensation for the victim to be paid through the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).