Bhubaneswar, September 30:The Special POCSO Court in Sundargarh has sentenced two men to life imprisonment after convicting them in connection with the abduction and gang rape of a minor girl in the Talasara police station area.
Special Judge Gyan Ranjan Patnaik convicted Ankit Apat and Lulendu Naik alias Lulu, both from the Talasara area, under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on each convict.
The court further directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to provide Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the victim.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on April 21, 2025. The minor girl was returning home with her friends after attending a feast at around 2 pm when the accused allegedly abducted her from the roadside in a Bolero. Her friends fled from the spot in fear.
The accused allegedly sexually assaulted the girl inside the vehicle and subsequently took her to a nearby forest, where she was allegedly gang-raped again. The victim later managed to escape and lodged a complaint at the Talasara police station.
Acting on the complaint, police traced the Bolero and apprehended three accused persons. While Apat and Naik were arrested and produced before the court, the third accused, who is a minor, was sent to a juvenile home in Rourkela. The victim subsequently identified the two adult accused during a test identification parade.
The investigating officer submitted the chargesheet within the stipulated period. The scientific team also collected evidence, while DNA samples of the victim and the accused were examined as part of the investigation.
The court relied on the police complaint, medical and scientific evidence and the statements of 28 witnesses while delivering the verdict.
Special Public Prosecutor Pratava Kumar Nanda conducted the prosecution and secured the convictions. The trial of the minor accused is pending before the Juvenile justice board
