Food delivery man rapes Odisha doctor, gets 10-year RI

Bhubaneswar: The Additional District Sessions Judge in Odisha’s Angul today sentenced a 35-year-old man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a woman doctor two years ago.

The judge convicted accused Sukanta Behera under Sections 376 (1) and 450 of the IPC.

As per the case records, a woman doctor, posted at Chhendipada Community Health Centre (CHC) in Angul, had ordered for dinner from a nearby hotel on June 29, 2021. Sukanta, the son of the hotel owner, had gone to official quarters of the woman doctor to deliver the food.

Finding her alone, Sukanta had raped the woman doctor and threatened her not to reveal the incident to anyone.

The victim had lodged an FIR in this regard with Chhendipada police. Subsequently, police registered a case and arrested the accused.

Angul Additional District Sessions Judge Biranchi Narayan Mishra convicted the accused after examining at least 11 witnesses and other evidence to the case, said Public Prosecutor Pradeep Kumar Das.

The judge sentenced the convict to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 376 (1) of the IPC and imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on him. Non-payment of the penalty would invite jail term for additional one year, he added.

The convict was awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 10,000 under Section 450 of the IPC. The convict will undergo imprisonment for one more year if he is unable to pay the penalty amount, said Additional Public Prosecutor Tapas Ranjan Mishra.

However, the judge had made it clear that the jail terms awarded to the convict under Section 376 (1) and 450 of the IPC will run concurrently, he added.