Three get death for rape, murder of Pune techie

Pune, May 9

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A special court today sentenced three persons to death for killing 28-year-old software engineer Nayana Pujari after abducting and gang-raping her eight years ago near here.

Special Judge LL Yenkar awarded death sentence to the trio — Yogesh Raut, Mahesh Thakur and Vishwas Kadam — a day after convicting them in the eight-year-old sensational gang-rape-murder case.

While convicting the three yesterday, the court had let off the fourth accused who had turned approver in the case.

Pujari, who worked at an IT firm in Kharadi, was kidnapped on October 7, 2009, evening from Kharadi bypass, while waiting for a transport to return home.

Her body was recovered two days later from Zarewadi forest area in Khed tehsil of Pune district.

Yogesh, Mahesh and Vishwas, who were given death penalty today, had been convicted of seven counts of various offences, including those of kidnapping, gang-rape, murder, robbery, misappropriation of property after hatching a criminal conspiracy in furtherance of their common intention.

The three, however, had been acquitted of three other charges, including those of abduction with an aim to commit murder, causing hurt while committing the robbery and the destruction of evidence as the prosecution failed to prove these charges. — PTI

Eight-year trial

Oct 7, 2009: Nayana Pujari kidnapped from Kharadi bypass

Oct 9: Her body recovered from Zarewadi forest area in Khed tehsil of Pune

Oct 16: 3 accused — Yogesh Raut, Rajesh Choudhari and Mahesh Thakur — arrested

Dec 9: Police nab another accused, Vishwas Kadam who admits to the crime

Jan 12, 2010: Police file chargesheet stating the four as accused

Feb 2: A narco test on the four is approved by Judicial Magistrate (First Class) SM Padolikar

April 30: Advocate Harshad Nimbalkar is appointed as a special public prosecutor

Sept 17, 2011: Kingpin Raut, being brought to Sassoon General hospital from Yerwada jail, escapes

June 2013: Raut is nabbed again, this time from Shirdi

Feb 3, 2014: Court starts recording accused-turned-approver Chaudhari’s evidence

May 8, 2017: Sessions Court holds the three accused guilty of kidnapping, gangrape and murder. Approver is freed

May 9: Trio gets death