Kanpur: Man sentenced to ten year jail term for raping woman

KANPUR: Additional sessions judge, Kanpur Nagar, Surendra Pal Singh on Saturday convicted accused Samarjeet Singh to ten years rigorous imprisonment and with a fine of Rs 7000 for raping a woman. Earlier, the prosecution on the quantum of sentence pleaded that around a dozen criminal cases are pending against the accused in different courts. He had physically exploited the victim, who was a poor and weak woman.
He also took her obscene photographs and threatened to make them viral, therefore, he should be awarded a maximum sentence.
The defence counsel on the other hand submitted that the accused had no criminal history and he had a wife and a 10-year-old daughter in his family, and there was none to take care of them, hence he should be given the minimum sentence.
According to ADGC Pradeep Kumar Sahu, the victim in her report lodged at the Chakeri police station. On May 4, 2019, she gave a typed report to SSP Kanpur Nagar and stated therein that she had received calls on her mobile from one unknown person. In the beginning, she did not respond but once she received the call and the caller named himself as Samarjeet Singh.
Samarjeet said that he had come to know that she was in search of a job and if she came to Rama Devi, she would get a job. Believing him, the victim went to Rama Devi on November 5, 2018 and met with Samarjeet who took a photocopy of her educational certificate and Aadhar card and asked her to sit in the car.
She said that when she refused to sit in the car but after much insistence by Samarjeet, she relented. In the midway, at revolver point, he threatened her of dire consequences and raped her in the moving car and also made a video of the act. He would blackmail her and had call her several times and raped her, she alleged.
After some time he forced her to indulge in a physical relationship with his friends and threatened her that if she did not follow his instructions, he would make the video viral. He had also obtained her signatures on blank papers.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)