Birajakhetra: A local court Friday sentenced six persons to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment after convicting them of raping a woman in 2014.
Jajpur additional district and sessions judge Bikram Kumar Pradhan sentenced the jail term and imposed a penalty of `5,000 each on them. They would undergo an additional six-month jail term, if they do not pay the fine, the court ruled. Senior lawyer Rajendra Prasad Nayak handled the case.
According to the case diary, the victim who worked as a daily labourer boarded a bus to Dhenkanal for work in the morning and returned in the evening on a regular basis. The incident occurred February 17, 2014. As usual the woman left for work in the morning and returned in the evening.
Meanwhile, while walking to her house, six youths Lapra Tiria (23), Dina Tiria (23), Jera Chatar (22), Nath Chatar (21), Dibar Bajara (25) and Toram Samad (22) abducted the woman. They took her to an isolated farm where they took turns on her. Later, they fled while the woman lay unconscious in the farm.
Later, after two hours, she regained consciousness and walked back to her house and narrated her ordeal to her father and husband. On learning the incident, family members brought the incident to the notice of the village committee.
Family members approached the local police and lodged a written complaint. Police registered a rape case and arrested the six accused. They were later produced in court.
Judge Pradhan pronounced the verdict after examining the statements of 15 witnesses in the case.
It is the first time that such a stringent imprisonment was pronounced in Jajpur district, sources said, adding all the accused were married. PNN
