Man sentenced to 20-year RI for sodomising minor boy

Baripada: A local court in Mayurbhanj district Saturday sentenced a 25-year-old man to 20 years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting a seven-year-old boy.

The verdict was delivered by Judge Santosh Kumar Nayak of the Fast Track Special Court under the POCSO Act.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on convict Raghunath Murmu, said Special Public Prosecutor Manaranjan Pattnaik. If the convict fails to pay the fine, he will remain in jail for another year, the court said.

The court also directed the Mayurbhanj District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) Secretary to pay Rs 1 lakh compensation to the victim’s family. The judgment was based on the statement of the victim, five witnesses and the medical report, Pattnaik said, adding that the incident took place January 12, 2025, when the child was alone in his house.

According to police, Murmu lured the child with chocolates and took him to a nearby forest where he sexually assaulted him.

PNN

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