Kathua rape case: Three prime accused gets life sentence

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All the three prime accused in the Kathua rape and murder case were sentenced by a court to life imprisonment on Monday.

The men gang-raped, tortured and murdered an eight-year-old girl last year in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district.

Two policemen and one other were sentenced for five years in prison apart from paying a fine for being held guilty of destroying evidence.

Retired revenue officer Sanji Ram, 61, masterminded the incident. He was the caretaker of the temple in which the victim was kept locked for days and repeatedly gang-raped, tortured, starved and drugged.

The second accused is friend of Sanji Ram’s nephew, Parvesh Kumar, who helped in the kidnapping of the victim and found guilty of raping her several times.

Third accused is special police officer Deepak Khajuria, who begged for raping the girl for one last time when she was strangled and about to be murdered.

Special police officer Surender Verma, Sub-Inspector Anand Dutta and Head Constable Tilak Raj were found guilty of destroying evidence. They have been sentenced for five years in jail and pay fine of Rs 25,000 each.

Dutta was given money in lakhs to cover the crime while Raj took bribe to block investigation.

The victim belonged to a nomadic tribe. The case was shifted out of the state as local lawyers prevented the crime branch from filing charges.