Bhadrak: A Special POCSO court in Bhadrak district today awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to a youth for raping a minor girl.

Hearing the case, Judge Minati Panda convicted the accused youth Pranab Kumar Nayak alias Bapunu (28) of Belada village under Bhadrak Rural police limits and sentenced him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for the rape of a 9-year-old girl.

The court also slapped the convict with Rs 10,000 fine. In default of paying the fine amount, the convict will undergo further imprisonment for a period of six months.

Besides, the Judge ordered the District Legal Services Authority to pay Rs 5 lakh to the victim and directed the State Government to pay Rs 4 lakh to the victim as compensation.

According to reports, the youth had attempted to barge into the house of a woman in the absence of her husband Ratnakar Mallick at Belada village on January 23, 2018 night while she was sleeping with her minor girl. Assuming some evilness, she woke up and went outside to check. The youth suddenly pelted stones at her. When she opposed, he forced her to have physical relation with him. The woman was assaulted and stripped when she resisted rape. Out of fear, she ran to her neighbour's house for help. When her neighbour Bijay Mohapatra and wife reached the spot, the accused youth had already fled with the victim woman's minor daughter, who was sleeping at home, and raped her at a farmland. She ran away from the area when the villagers reached the spot.

The victim minor girl narrated the incident that happened with her following which a case was registered against the accused under sections 376/354/506 of IPC, 6 of POCSO ACT and 3 of Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

During the investigation, the police arrested the accused youth on January 25, 2018.