The Special POSCO Court here on Monday convicted a accused for raping a minor girl and awarded him life imprisonment. The court also slapped a penalty of Rs 25,000 on him and, in default, another one year’s imprisonment.
Judge Girija Prasad Mohapatra pronounced the verdict in the case which occurred in November 2017 in the Gobaraghata area under Jaleswar police station .
The convict Banshi Maharana had raped a six-year old girl on November 3, in Banapokhari village where he was residing posing as a transgender.The mother of the victim after learning about the incident informed the police on November 21.
But by then the accused had absconded. Later, police managed to nab him. Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Panda said the case was handed over to the State Crime Branch and marked as a Red Flag case. The court pronounced the judgement after cross-examining 15 witnesses and 17 documents, said Panda.