Keonjhar: Keonjhar Fast Track Court Judge Bijay Kumar Mishra sentenced Thursday, a 53-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a five-year-old girl. The convict, identified as Kampani Padukar of Masinabila village under Ghatgaon police station, has also been levied a penalty of Rs 10,000. Failure to do so will entail an additional six months in jail. Padukar committed the heinous crime, April 9, 2023. Sources said that on the fateful day, the victim was playing alone in front of her house while her parents had gone to collect forest produces. Taking advantage of the situation, the convict forcibly took the minor to some distance away from her house, gagged her and then raped her. Padukar then fled the spot. A little while later, when the victim’s parents were returning home they saw her bleeding and crying in pain. The kid then narrated her ordeal to her parents. They immediately took her to the Ghatgaon Community Health Centre for treatment.
Based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s father at the Ghatgaon police station, cops arrested the convict. “Today, the Fast Track Court has pronounced the sentence under Section 6 of the POCSO Act based on the statements of 16 witnesses and the police report,” special public prosecutor, Gyanendranath Jena said. He added that he has recommended to the district legal services authority to provide assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the victim’s family