Phulbani, May 02: In a case involving the abduction and rape of a minor girl, the Phulbani Special POCSO Court sentenced the accused to 20 years of imprisonment. Along with the sentence, the court has imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on the accused. The judgment states that failure to pay the fine will result in an additional 7 months of imprisonment.
The accused has been identified as Sameer Patra from Bauljholi village under Berhampur Sadar police limits.
According to the information, the father of the 14-year-old minor girl, who hails from the G. Udayagiri police limits, was a businessman. The accused Sameer was working for him. In 2018, the girl's father went missing. After his disappearance, Sameer took charge of managing the business.
On May 13 of the same year, when the victim’s mother had gone to Bhanjanagar hospital for treatment, the girl was alone at home. Taking advantage of the situation, Sameer lured the minor girl by saying they would go search for her missing father. He also took ₹18,000 in cash and some jewelry from the house while leaving.
Sameer went absconding with the girl and kept her in various places. During this period, he allegedly raped her repeatedly.
When the mother returned and found her daughter missing, she searched for her in various places but was unsuccessful. Eventually, on May 16, she filed a complaint at the G. Udayagiri police station. A case was registered under number 41/18 and an investigation began.
Nearly two months later, the police rescued the victim and apprehended the accused.
On Friday, after hearing the case, POCSO Court Judge Rajesh Das delivered the above sentence based on the statements of 11 witnesses, the testimony of the victim, and the medical report. The court also directed the Legal Services Authority to provide a compensation of ₹7 lakh to the victim. The case was conducted by independent Public Prosecutor Aseem Praharaj.
