Bhubaneswar, August 30: The District and Sessions Court of Sundargarh has awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) to four men for abducting, gang-raping, and trafficking a differently-abled young woman from the Hemgiri area. In the same case, a woman found guilty of selling the victim was also sentenced to three years of imprisonment.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on each of the four convicts, with an additional six months’ imprisonment in case of non-payment. Further, it directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to provide ₹10 lakh as compensation to the victim.
The incident dates back to 2016, when a deaf and mute young woman was abducted from outside her home in Hemgiri late at night. The accused gang-raped her on the roadside, looted her ornaments, and trafficked her to Haryana, where she was sold.
In a dramatic turn of events, the man who purchased her later contacted the victim’s father and revealed her location, leading to her rescue and safe return. Acting on her statement, police arrested the accused, and charges were framed against them.
