Rayagada: A local court on Tuesday sentenced nine persons to life imprisonment in a 2019 kidnapping, sexual assault and attempt-to-murder case involving a youth travelling from Chennai to Jharsuguda. One of the convicts allegedly fled from the court premises after learning about the verdict, prompting police to launch a search.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Alpana Swain pronounced the judgment in G.R. Case No. 31/19 and C.T. Case No. 32/2020 after a prolonged trial in which 36 witnesses deposed.
The convicts were identified as Hadapa Shiba, G. Bangaru, Shundi Suraj, Shundi Prakash, Majhi Raja, Majhi Joseph, G. Benu, G. Teja and G. Surendra.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on November 18, 2019, when the victim was travelling by train from Chennai to Jharsuguda. The accused allegedly kidnapped him near Lada railway station under Rayagada police station limits, accusing him of ganja trafficking and demanding Rs 10 lakh for his release.
A case was registered at Rayagada police station (Case No. 425/19). During the investigation, police arrested the accused. The miscreants allegedly opened fire at the police team during a raid, following which the police retaliated.
The court convicted the nine accused under Sections 354(A), 364(A), 377, 120(B) and 34 of the IPC and Section 25(i) of the Arms Act. Besides life imprisonment, the court imposed fines ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 20,000 on the convicts. Failure to pay the fines would invite an additional six months of imprisonment.
Public Prosecutor Rajat Ranjan Khatua conducted the case on behalf of the government.
Tension reportedly prevailed on the court premises following the verdict, as family members of the convicts reacted to the judgment. Rayagada SDPO Gaurahari Sahu and a police team rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
Meanwhile, convict Shundi Prakash allegedly escaped from the court premises after learning about his conviction. Police have initiated an investigation and launched a search to trace him.
