Berhampur: A special court in Ganjam district Friday sentenced a 26-year-old man to life imprisonment for sodomising and murdering a 4-year-old boy at Dharakote in 2023. Special POCSO Judge Pranati Pattnaik convicted Srikanta alias Sukanta Sethi, a resident of the Dharakote police station area, and awarded him life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000, with an additional year of rigorous imprisonment (RI) in default of payment.
The judge directed the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the victim’s parents. According to the prosecution, the incident occurred January 24, 2023. The child was playing outside his house when the accused allegedly lured him to his rooftop with chocolates. When the boy did not return till evening, his family began searching for him. After getting information from locals, they reached the accused’s rooftop and found the child lying in a pool of blood. He was taken to Dharakote community health centre, where doctors declared him dead.
Police registered a case (24/23) and arrested Sethi the next day. The investigating officer, Mamata Kumari Samantara, later filed a chargesheet in court. During the trial, 17 witnesses were examined. The accused, lodged in Berhampur Circle Jail since his arrest, was produced before the court when the judgment was pronounced, said Special Public Prosecutor Narayan Panda.
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