BARIPADA: A Mayurbhanj court on Friday convicted two 60-year-old men, in separate cases, for rape of minors and sentenced them to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Additional district and sessions-cum-fast track special POCSO court judge Santosh Kumar Nayak handed 60-year-old Bira Singh Hansdah to 20 years RI for the rape of a mentally challenged 15-year-old girl.
Sources said Hansda, a resident of Kusumi village under Badampahar police limits, was charged with kidnapping and raping the minor on May 28 last year while she was returning home from a hospital.
The accused sexually assaulted her repeatedly in the forest over several days. She managed to escape on May 31 and narrated the incident to her mother.
The matter came to light after compromise between the accused and the survivor’s parents failed. Following this, her parents lodged a complaint at Badampahar police station on June 17, 2024. Police registered a case and arrested the accused under section 376 (AB) (2) (n) and section 6 of POCSO Act.
Convicting Hansdah, judge Nayak also imposed a fine of `10,000 and an additional six months jail term in case of non-payment. It also directed the district legal service authority to provide Rs 4 lakh compensation to the survivor.
In the second verdict, 60-year-old Sukra Singh was sentenced to 20 years RI for raping a 16-year-old differently-abled minor on May 2023.
The court also imposed a fine of `10,000 on Singh. It also directed the district legal services authority to provide `5 lakh compensation to the survivor.