Jajpur: In a significant judgement, a court in Jajpur district awarded 20-year rigorous imprisonment to a man after convicting him for abducting and sexually assaulting a minor girl.

Judge Sharat Kumar Dehury of the Fast Track Special Court convicted Rahul Ghadai of the Jajpur Road police station area based on the examination of six witnesses. The court also imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on the convict, with an additional six months of imprisonment in case of non-payment.

The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide ₹2 lakh compensation to the victim.

Ghadai committed the crime in 2025. As per the case details, he kidnapped the 16-year-old girl and took her to Bhadrak, where he kept her for two days and sexually assaulted her multiple times.

After running out of money, the accused abandoned the girl on a roadside in Bhadrak instead of taking her back home. The victim later informed her parents about the incident, following which she was rescued. Her family subsequently lodged a complaint at Jajpur Road police station.

Based on the complaint, police launched a probe and arrested the accused. The accused was subsequently forwarded to court.