Daijiworld Media Network - Chikkamagaluru (SP)

Chikkamagaluru, Jan 19: The district chief and sessions court here, on Saturday January 18, pronounced a judgement as per which two persons who were charged with raping and murdering a girl student four years back were awarded death sentence.

The crime had happened at Menase village in Sringeri taluk. Judge of the court, Umesh M Adiga, who conducted trial, awarded death sentence to Pradeep and Santosh, residents of Aksalu Kudige in Menase village of Sringeri taluk.

The crime in which a college student was waylaid, raped and murdered on February 16, 2016, had shaken the conscience of the people of this distrct. A first year BCom student who was walking towards her home in a footway was stopped, raped and murdered by the duo. The killers then had dumped her body in a discarded well.

Because of this incident, people of this Malnad area which is sparsely populated, had become wary of sending their daughters to college out of fear. The court, after conducting hearing for nearly four hyears, came to the conclusion that these two persons deserve to be hanged. As this was a case of gang rape, 25 years of imprisonment and fine of Rs 25,000 too have been imposed on them.

The girl in question, who was a student of a college at Sringeri, was dropped off at the college by her father in his motorbike in the morning. In the evening, after college, she used to walk to her home. On Feburary 16, 2016, the student, who appeared for her examination, had finished it a bit early, and therefore, was walking to her village when Pradeep and Santosh stopped her and after raping and murdering her, tossed the body in a 50-feet deep discarded well full of bushes and growth of vegetation.

The police who began investigation soon got scent about who were behind this crime. Two persons who had observed that both the killers were at the spot where the body of the girl was found in the afternoon, had informed the police. Moreover, Santosh also had proudly claimed with a close friend that he had raped and killed a girl. On this basis, the police identified the culprits. One of the accused attempted suicide thereafter while the other was arrested. The two also were facing several other cases.

During the previous hearing on January 3, the court, based on evidences and witnesses, had concluded that the accused were guilty of committing the said crimes. It had fixed January 18 as the date for fixing the sentence.

Father of the girl, speaking to the media, said that such judgements go a long way to win confidence of the people in courts. He expressed happiness at the fact that the tormentors of his daughter have got maximum punishment. He said he had been unable to properly sleep since the last four years, and felt that henceforth he will be able to enjoy his sleep. He wished that such heinous crimes do not happen again in a holy place like Sringeri.