Sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping a minor girl in Balasore

Bhubaneswar: A special POCSO court has sentenced a man to 20 years in prison for raping a minor girl in Balasore district last year.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court in Balasore heard the case on Monday. Judge Ranjan Kumar Sutar convicted Shaikh Mantaj of the Marine Police area and imposed a jail term of 20 years after hearing the statements of 16 witnesses and examining 20 documents.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict. If he fails to pay the fine, the convict will have to go to jail for two more years. The court also directed the District Legal Authority to pay compensation of Rs 400,000 to the victim.

According to the prosecution, on September 28, 2023, while the girl was playing in front of her house, Mantaj lured her to a secluded place with chocolate and raped her.

The victim’s parents filed a complaint against Mantaj with the Marine Police after the victim told them about the incident. Based on the complaint, the police filed a complaint against Mantaj and arrested him. After investigation, the police filed the charge sheet with the court.