Prime accused in gang rape case sentenced to 24 years rigorous imprisonment

Kottayam, February 12

The prime accused in the rape and sale of a minor girl in 1996 at Vithura near Thiruvananthapuram was on Friday sentenced to 24 years rigorous imprisonment by a special court here.

The Additional District Sessions Court also slapped Suresh with a fine of Rs 1.09 lakh.

The court charged him under various sections of the IPC, including 344 (wrongful confinement for 10 or more days) and 372 (selling minor for the purpose of prostitution) and Section 3(1) and 5(1)(g)(ii) of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act and sentenced him to various terms from 2 to 10 years.

As the sentences will run concurrently, he will have to serve only 10 years in jail.

The court, while imposing the fine on him, directed that the amount, if realised, be given to the rape survivor.

It also ordered the state government to pay adequate compensation to the girl, the quantum of which shall be determined by the district legal service authority.

Suresh, who forced the girl into the flesh trade, was nabbed by the Crime Branch wing of the Kerala police in 2019 from Hyderabad, four years after he went absconding during the trial.

He surrendered before the court in 2014, following the acquittal of other accused in the case that year.

The court had declared him a fugitive in several cases registered against him in connection with the rape. The girl was raped by several people between November 1995 and May 1996.

She was allegedly lured into the trap by a person with a job offer. PTI

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