New Delhi: Can the coronavirus pandemic, Delhi riots, multiple cyclones and border conflicts, all happen in Indian in one year? The answer is yes.

Along with these events, there were multiple crime cases that shook the nation and dominated headlines in 2020. Here are six of them:

Hathras Gangrape and Murder Case

The Hathras was not just one of the worst cases in 2020 but one of the biggest cases of crimes against women in India in a long time. In September 2020, a 20-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped and murdered by four men in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras. This case triggered massive outrage across the country.

The UP Police denied that the victim was cremated without her family’s approval. The case was then transferred to the CBI. While the UP Police denied that the victim was raped, the CBI invoked the gangrape and murder charges against the four accused.

Kanpur Ambush by Vikas Dubey

In an attempt to catch history-sheeter and gangster Vikas Dubey, a team of policemen headed to Kanpur’s Dehat district on July 3. However, the cops were ambushed by Vikas Dubey and his gang who killed eight policemen and mutilated their bodies.

The incident rocked the nation, following which police launched a manhunt to arrest Vikas Dubey. He was arrested on July 9 in Madhya Pradesh. When he was being taken from MP to UP, he allegedly tried to escape and was killed in a police encounter. Later, a probe was launched in the case over the killings of police officials along with encounter killings of Vikas Dubey ad five of his associates.

Kerala Gold Smuggling Case

The Kerala gold smuggling case first surfaced when Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, was arrested by the Customs department on July 5 when he was allegedly facilitating the smuggling of 30 kg gold in a diplomatic baggage from Dubai to Thiruvananthapuram.

The case turned murkier when the involvement of Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the UAE Consulate who was later employed with the Kerala IT Department, came to light. Her links allegedly stretched to the Chief Minister as she also had connections with Sivasankar. She later revealed that Sivasankar was her mentor.

The ED said that during investigation, it was revealed that Sarith, Suresh, Fareed and Nair indulged in illegal smuggling of gold to India. Sivasankar was arrested by the ED on October 28 and is currently in judicial custody. The ED has filed a chargesheet in the case.

Bois Locker Room

Leaked screenshots of the private Instagram chat group ‘Bois Locker Room’ stirred up a storm after numerous boys were allegedly seen sharing photos of underage girls, objectifying them, and allegedly planning ‘gang-rapes’.

Ballabhagarh College Girl Shot Dead by Classmate

On October 26, a 21-year-old college student Nikita Tomar was shot dead in broad daylight outside her college while she was returning home in Ballabhgarh.

After the killing, massive protests were held in the Haryana town, with the protestors seeking strict action against the accused. The victim’s mother, who also sat on protest, had allegedly said that she won’t cremate her daughter until the two accused were killed in an encounter.

Mutliple police teams were formed to catch the two and both the accused Tausif and Rehan were arrested a day after the alleged murder.

The victim’s family said that she was attacked by Tausif who was infatuated with her and committed the crime after she refused his proposals repeatedly. Police said the other accused was his accomplice.

Bollywood Drugs Case

Sushant Singh was found hanging at his Bandra home on June 14, sparking off a huge political controversy, an upheaval in Bollywood besides multiple probes by the Mumbai Police, Patna Police, Central Bureau of Investigation, ED and the NCB.

On September 4, the borther of Sushant’s ex-girlfriend Rhea- Showik Chakraborty – was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drugs related case as part of the investigations into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. He was granted bail on December 2, three months after his arrest.

On September 8, Rhea Chakraborty was arrested by the NCB and granted bail after a month on October 7, even as over two dozen persons, including Bollywood-linked persons, narcotics peddlers, suppliers and financers have been arrested or interrogation.