Odisha: 5-year-old girl raped on way to shop near house, accused sentenced to 20 years in jail

A 40-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a special court in Odisha's Balasore district on Saturday for raping a five-year-old girl when she was going to a shop near her house to buy soap.

The incident happened on May 3 when the girl's mother sent her to a nearby shop. On the way, the man got hold of her, and promising her some snacks, took her to a secluded place where he raped her, according to the prosecution.

Besides sentencing him to 20 years in jail, the special POCSO court of Judge Ranjan Kumar Sutar also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on him.

The man was convicted under IPC section 376 (AB) which deals with rape on a woman under 12 years, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, said Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda.

The court directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to pay a compensation of Rs 4 lakhs to the survivor.