A POCSO court in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Thursday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of his minor sister-in-law, a crime committed three years ago.
Pranati Pattnaik, the Additional District Judge-cum-Judge of the POCSO court, pronounced the verdict following a thorough examination of statements from 11 witnesses, according to Special Public Prosecutor Narayan Panda.
The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide Rs 8 lakh in compensation to the victim’s family members, Panda added.
The convict has been identified as the brother-in-law of the deceased teenager.
Police said that the convict raped the girl and murdered her by throttling her in a forest near the Buguda police station area in Ganjam district on August 17, 2023.
The victim’s father had filed a missing person report at the Buguda police station on August 21. During the subsequent investigation, police discovered the body of the 17-year-old girl in the forest and apprehended the convict on August 23.
