Bhubaneswar, March 21 (IANS) A court in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Wednesday sentenced two persons including a woman to undergo 30 years' rigorous imprisonment each for sexually abusing a 13-year-old Dalit girl in the Joda area of the district in 2018.

The convicts were identified as Seikh Shahadat Ali and Amita Karwa, both residents of Joda area. The court has also asked Ali and Karwa to pay Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000, respectively, as fine.

Both Ali and Amita would serve additional imprisonment of three and two years respectively if they failed to deposit the fine amount.

Ali, 47, was a driver of a school van while his paramour Amita was the step maternal grandmother of the victim minor.

"As per the FIR, the victim was pursuing her studies by staying along with her maternal grandfather after the separation of her parents and subsequent remarriage of her mother. Ali and Amita had an illicit relationship and the former used to visit Amita's house regularly. In June 2018, the victim was alone at home along with Amita, accused Ali reached there and forcibly raped the minor with the help of her step grandmother, Amita. The accused continued to sexually abuse her whenever he got a chance," said Ganesh Prasad Mohapatra, the special public prosecutor.

Mohapatra also added that the victim's mother sensed something wrong when she was not allowed by Amita to meet her daughter during the Durga Puja vacation.

Later, the victim's mother went to the house of her brother and sought his help in getting her daughter back. Subsequently, the victim's maternal uncle and mother rescued her from the clutches of Amita and Ali and took away the minor with them.

She later revealed her ordeal before her mother and maternal uncle.

She lodged a formal complaint with the police seeking action against the accused on November 27, 2018.

Police immediately swung into action and apprehended the duo on the very same day.

The court after going through the statements of witnesses and exhibitions produced, declared the duo guilty and pronounced the judgement.

The court has also asked the District Legal Services Authority, Keonjhar to take steps for the payment of financial compensation of Rs 6 lakh to the minor victim.