US tourist gang-rape: 3 Nepalese sentenced to 20 years of jail

A District and Sessions court in HP sentenced 3 Nepalese to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each for gang-rape of an US national in June.

Kullu/Shimla: A District and Sessions court here today sentenced three Nepalese to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each for the gangrape of an US national in June. Judge Kullu Purender Vaidya on Tuesday convicted and sentenced three accused ? Arjun, Lakki, both residents of Solang and Som Bahadur of Aleo to 20 years of jail and a fine of Rs 10,000 each under the Section 376 IPC for the crime. In case of default in paying the fine the convict shall go for further imprisonment of two years. The accused have also been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for another five years for offence punishable under Section 392 IPC (Robbery) and imposed on each another fine of Rs 5,000.

The verdict, awarded six months after the incident, came a day after the nation marked the one-year anniversary of the fatal gangrape of a student in New Delhi that drew global attention to sex crimes against women in the country. District Attorney Mahesh Sen earlier told the court that the 30-year-old US tourist, who visited Manali on June 3, 2013, was staying at the Sun Rise guest house in Old Manali. She was picked up by the trio in a commercial vehicle when she was going back to her guest house after visiting a friend on June 4 night, he said, adding, that the miscreants took her to a secluded spot and gang-raped her. During the incident, they had snatched her belongings including mobile phones, camera, Rs 5,000 cash, US$30 and few Thai Baht, Sen said.