Odisha: Man gets 10-year jail term for abducting minor girl

Bhubaneswar: A court in Odisha’s Puri district has sentenced a man to 10 years of imprisonment for abducting a minor girl and forcing her into prostitution. The Additional Sessions Judge, Puri, has also imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on convict Sangram Baliarsingh of Khuntia Banpur under Gadishagada police limits. Non-payment of the penalty amount would invite further imprisonment for one month, said the court. As per the case records, Baliarsingh had kidnapped the 15-year-old girl after offering her a lift in January, 2014. He allegedly brought the minor girl to the capital city and forced her into the flesh trade. However, the victim managed to escape the red-light area and contact her parents over phone. On being informed, the police conducted a raid and rescued the minor girl. The cops later arrested the accused and produced him in the court after registering a case in this regard. The court convicted Baliarsingh after examining the witnesses and evidence gathered by the police during the investigation, said public prosecutor Madhusudan Dash.