Bhubaneswar: A special POCSO court convicted a man on Tuesday to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for the abduction and rape of a 17-year-old girl a year prior. Saroj Kumar Sahoo, the ad hoc additional sessions judge of the POCSO court, delivered the verdict after reviewing 12 witnesses and 71 documents, according to a government advocate. The court also levied a fine of Rs 5,000 on the 25-year-old defendant. If he fails to pay the fine, he will face an additional three months in prison. The accused had taken the victim from her home on July 11, 2024, under the pretense of marrying her with her parents’ consent, police reported.
He then compelled her to engage in sexual acts multiple times against her will. The victim was able to escape and reported the incident at the Mancheswar police station on September 24 of the previous year.