Ashis SenapatiKendrapada: A special Pocso court in Jajpur has sentenced a 25-year-old man to 20 years of imprisonment on Thursday for kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old girl multiple times last year.Judge Sarat Chandra Dehuri imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict, failure to pay would increase the sentence by six more months. The court directed Odisha State Legal Services Authority to pay compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the minor.The accused was convicted under various sections of BNS and Pocso Act for kidnapping the survivor on Jan 19, 2025, and raping her for two days in a house in Bhadrak. The girl’s father filed a complaint on Jan 22, 2025 alleging that the accused had kidnapped and raped his daughter.Acting on the complaint, the police arrested the accused. “Nine witnesses, including the survivor, deposed in this case in court. After relying on the evidence of witnesses and a medical report, the court convicted the accused to 20 years of imprisonment,” said Dilip Kumar Das, special public prosecutor.

