BENGALURU: A
city court on Monday sentenced two guards to imprisonment till death after finding them guilty of raping a woman inside
Cubbon Park in November 2015.
Raju Medhi, 31, and Balin Das, 41, from Assam, were employed by a
private security agency, Pavan Securities, which worked for the horticulture department. Medhi and Das lived at the horticulture office premises.
On the night of November 11, 2015, a woman in her early 30s from Tumakuru had come to the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association in Cubbon Park, seeking admission to a training course. She was not familiar with the city and reached the venue by 5.30pm. Finding the association office locked, she left and returned around 9.30pm.
UNSAFE PARK
Security guards raped a woman from Tumakuru on night of November 11, 2015 in Cubbon Park
Woman was at the park to enrol for a tennis course
On pretext of providing accommodation, they took her to a gazebo and raped her
Police arrested the accused and subjected them to medical tests
Park guards took woman to gazebo and raped her
The guards promised to arrange accommodation for her, but took her to a gazebo and raped her. They warned her against going to the police and led her out of the park.
A police patrol team found the distraught woman walking near KR Circle. On questioning, she told them about the sexual assault. A special team was formed by then deputy commissioner of police Sandip Patil. Headed by then Cubbon Park police inspector C Balakrishna, the team arrested the accused and subjected them to medical tests, including DNA tests.
Reading out the judgment, judge M Latha Kumari of the LIII Additional City Civil and Sessions Court said, “The accused are directed to undergo imprisonment for life till death and pay a fine of Rs 25,000 each for the offence punishable under section of IPC-376 D (gang rape).” The 150-page chargesheet had the statements of 12 eyewitnesses. During the trial, 15 articles were examined as evidence.
(Picture used for representational purpose)
