The accused allegedly kidnapped him near Lada railway station demanded Rs 10 lakh for his release
Rayagada Court Sentences Life Term To 9 In Kidnapping & Sexual Assault Case: Rayagada Additional District Judge(ADJ) court on Tuesday sentenced nine persons to life imprisonment in connection with 2019 kidnapping, sexual assault, and attempt-to-murder case. The court also imposed fines ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 on each of convicts.
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.
The incident took place on November 18, 2019, when the victim, a young man, was travelling by train from Chennai to Jharsuguda. The accused allegedly kidnapped him near Lada railway station under Rayagada police station limits. They accused him of ganja trafficking and demanded 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.
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The court convicted the nine accused under relevant sections. 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.
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.
