Justice Served: Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Raping 9-Year-Old in Berhampur

Severe Punishment for a Disturbing Crime

In Berhampur, a special POCSO court has handed down a 20-year rigorous imprisonment sentence to a 30-year-old man for the heinous crime of raping a 9-year-old girl in 2023.

The convicted individual, identified as Rohit Naik from the Badagada police jurisdiction in Ganjam district, was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5,000.

The court specified that failure to pay this fine would lead to an additional six months of imprisonment. Furthermore, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) was instructed to provide a financial compensation of Rs 10.5 lakh to the victim.

This case traces back to December 2022 when a woman took her daughter to her paternal home in Badagada.

On the night of January 13, 2023, while the woman was watching a cultural drama performance with her father, she discovered her daughter missing from the room where she had been sleeping.

Shortly after, the girl returned home in tears, claiming that a young man had entered the house, silenced her, and dragged her to a nearby field where he assaulted her.

The child was promptly taken to a hospital for medical care, and the incident was reported to the Badagada police.

A case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, leading to the arrest of Rohit Naik, who was subsequently brought before the court.

During the trial, the testimonies of nine witnesses were recorded, as stated by Public Prosecutor Narayan Panda.