Baripada: A local court Tuesday sentenced a youth to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment after convicting him of raping a minor girl. The convict identified as Khetra Munda, 22, is a native of Baliadala village under Patana police limits in Keonjhar district. Additional District and Sessions Judge Sumita Jena also slapped a penalty of Rs 11,000 on the convict apart from the punishment. If he fails to pay, Munda will have spent an additional seven months in prison. The judge also directed the district legal services authority (DLSA) to grant Rs 4 lakh financial assistance to the survivors.
According to the case diary, the minor girl was playing with her sister on the evening of November 7, 2017. Taking advantage of the secluded place, Munda kidnapped both and raped the younger of the two girls. Family members searched for them in nearby jungle but failed to trace them.
Later, the family of the two girls lodged a complaint at the Thakurmunda police station. Police registered a case and launched a search operation and rescued both girls. Police arrested the accused on the basis of the statements of the rape survivor, special public prosecutor Abhinna Kumar Patnaik said.
PNN/ Agencies
