KENDRAPARA: A Kendrapara court on Friday sentenced a 55-year-old man to 20 years imprisonment for raping a minor girl last year.
Ad-hoc additional sessions-cum-fast track special court judge Tribikram Keshari Chinhara convicted Baman Mallick under section 376 AB of IPC and section 6 of POCSO Act, 2012 for the offence. A fine of Rs 70,000 was also imposed on him and an additional jail term of 18 months if he failed to pay.
Special public prosecutor Manoj Kumar Sahu said the verdict was pronounced after examining the statements of 10 witnesses. On April 14 last year, the 7-year-old survivor’s mother lodged an FIR with Kendrapara Sadar police alleging that Mallick had raped her daughter while she was alone at home. The incident, however, came to the fore when the girl complained of pain in her abdomen. Basing on the FIR, police had arrested Mallick.