Bhubaneswar: A POCSO court in Odisha’s Sambalpur district today sentenced a 22-year-old youth to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a six-year-old girl last year.

The court also slapped a penalty of Rs 50,000 on convict Anil Samad of Dumku Khadiapada under Mahulpali police limits in Sambalpur.

The convict was also awarded five years of RI and a penalty of Rs 10,000 under Section 506 (ii) of the IPC.

As per the case records, the minor girl had gone to watch a dance programme in Mahulpali area in the evening hours of April 27, 2024. Samad had sexually assaulted her at a secluded place.

The victim had been hospitalized at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) at Burla for around 15 days.

The police had registered a case against Samad under Sections 376AB and 506 of the IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act.

The cops had conducted a test identification (TI) parade during the investigation and collected crucial forensic as well as digital evidence against the accused.

A charge sheet was filed against the accused in the POSCO court on June 15 last year.

The court convicted Samad after examining the evidence gathered by the cops. It has recommended a compensation of Rs 13.5 lakh for the victim.