THANJAVUR: The Mahila court here on Monday, sentenced to life imprisonment till death four youth aged between 19 and 25 years, for raping a 25-year-old woman in Kumbakonam in December 2018.
According to the sources, the victim, who was from New Delhi, got a job appointment in a private bank in Kumbakonam. She had come down to Kumbakonam from Chennai in a train which reached around the midnight of December 1.
When she hired an auto at the Kumbakonam railway station to go to the lodge where she booked a room, the auto driver had reportedly taken a circuitous route. When she grew suspicious with the ride, she called her friend over phone. The auto driver, who sensed trouble, dropped her on the road and sped away.
As she was walking with her trolley, she had reportedly asked a youth on bike to lift it for her. He obliged and another bike-borne youth started trailing the bike. It is said the duo led the girl to a remote place and raped her.
She was forcefully taken near Naachiyarkoil, located in Kumbakonam by-pass road. There, they sexually assaulted her and two more youth joined them and abused her together. When cried for help, the perpetrators reportedly threatened her with murder.
Later, one of the youth accompanied the girl to the main road by foot, stopped an auto and travelled along with the girl. The perpetrator reportedly borrowed the mobile from the auto driver to call his friends to pick him up at Old fish market where he got down. The auto-rickshaw driver then dropped the girl at her staying place. The girl reportedly noted the number of the auto which dropped her in the final trip.
Based on her complaint, Kumbakonam West police Inspector K Rameshkumar registered a case and launched an investigation. Based on the phone call from the mobile of the auto driver, the police cracked the case in three days, and arrested S Dineshkumar (25) of Annai Anjugam Nagar, M Vasanthakumar (21) of Motilal street, S Purushothaman (19) of Moopanar Nagar, S Anabarasan (19) of Halima Nagar of Kumbakonam who had sexually assaulted the victim and also Gurumurthy (26) of Tiruppanippettai, the auto-rickshaw driver who drove the auto in the wrong direction and dropped her midway.
After hearing the counsels, M Ezhilarasi, Judge of Mahila Court, Thanjavur, found all four guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal code. They were awarded life imprisonment till their natural death. The Judgement said only their dead bodies should be brought out of the jail. All the four were fined Rs 50,000 each and the total amount should be paid to the victim girl. If the victim felt the amount was inadequate, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) should get increased compensation from the Government.
The Judge also found the auto-rickshaw driver Gurumurthy guilty under section 365 (Kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person), 393 (attempt to commit robbery) of Indian Penal code and sentenced him to seven years rigorous imprisonment.
Auto number: After sexually assaulting the woman, one of the accused took an auto for her and travelled with her before getting off in the midway. When she was dropped at the place, she noted the auto number