Baripada, Oct 28: A court in Odisha’s Maurbhanj district on Monday sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment after convicting him of raping a minor girl in 2017.

The convict has been identified as Ananta Tudu (35), a resident of Badunia village under Bisoi police station limits in the district.

The fast-track court of special judge Santosh Kumar Nayak sentenced the convict to jail and also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him, said Special Public Prosecutor Manoranjan Pattnaik.

The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to the victim, he added.

On the night of July 8, 2017, Ananta forcibly took the minor girl to a nearby forest while she was sleeping with her grandmother and raped her.

The girl was rescued by villagers, and the police were informed, following which a case was registered at the Bisoi police station. Later, accused Ananta was arrested following an investigation and forwarded to the court.

The arrested accused was tried under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 6 of the POCSO Act.

After examining 18 witnesses and statements of the victim, the court today pronounced its verdict, the Public Prosecutor said.

Read More Odisha News