Justice Served: 20-Year Sentence for Youth in Kendrapara Kidnapping Case

Severe Punishment for Kidnapping and Rape

Kendrapara: A local court has handed down a 20-year rigorous imprisonment sentence to a young man for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a minor girl, as reported by officials on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Swadhin Digal, 19, from Sadanmendi village in Kandhamal district, was found guilty of abducting a 16-year-old girl within the jurisdiction of Patakura Police Station in October 2024.

According to Manoj Kumar Sahoo, the Special Public Prosecutor for the Additional District Judge and Special Judge (POCSO), the incident occurred on October 8, 2024.

Following the victim's father's complaint at the Patkura police station, authorities initiated an investigation based on the FIR. The police, with assistance from their counterparts in Bhubaneswar, successfully rescued the girl from a residence in the Nayapalli area on November 18, 2024, apprehending the suspect at the scene.

The victim's statement was recorded under section 180 of the BNSS, and she was presented in court to provide her testimony under section 183 of the BNS.

Both the victim and the accused underwent medical examinations, and the police subsequently filed charges against Digal under various sections of the BNS, 2023, as well as section 6 of the POCSO Act.

In the court's ruling, Additional District and Sessions Judge Prangya Paramita Raula sentenced Swadhin Digal to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 65,000.

The judge further stipulated that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional year of rigorous imprisonment.

Additionally, the court recommended that the government provide Rs 8 lakh in compensation to the minor victim and instructed the Secretary of DLSA, Kendrapara, to facilitate the compensation process.