Angul: A special POCSO court in Angul has convicted 40-year-old Babula Jena in connection with the rape and murder of a minor girl.
The verdict was delivered by the additional district judge-cum-special court under the POCSO Act, nearly one year after the accused’s arrest.
The convict, a resident of Dehury Sahi in Jereng village of Angul district, was found guilty of committing the crime against a child aged 4 years and 10 months from Pidhakhaman village.
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The court held the accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt under Sections 137(2), 103(1), 65(2) and 238(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred March 13, 2025, when the victim went missing while playing outside her house. Despite extensive searches by family members and neighbours, she could not be traced. A missing complaint was lodged by her father, Ranjan Soy, at the Industrial Police Station March 14.
The child’s body was found the following day under a mahua tree near her residence. A postmortem examination confirmed that the cause of death was compression of the neck, along with evidence of forcible penetrative sexual assault.
Angul district police conducted the investigation under the supervision of the superintendent of police. The case was led by Jogeswari Behera, DSP, IUCAW, Angul, who served as the investigating officer.
The accused was arrested March 17, 2025, within four days of the incident, and produced before the court March 18.
The investigation involved examination of multiple crime scenes, forensic evidence collection, DNA analysis, witness testimonies and recovery of incriminating materials.
All exhibits were sent to the State Forensic Science Laboratory in Bhubaneswar. The District Legal Services Authority, Angul, was informed to facilitate compensation to the victim’s family.
Following the conviction, the court has scheduled a hearing on the quantum of sentence. Both prosecution and defence have been directed to present mitigating and aggravating circumstances.
Reports have also been sought from the district probation officer and the superintendent of district jail, Angul.
The offences for which the accused has been convicted carry punishment of death or imprisonment for the remainder of natural life.
UNI
