Five get 20 yrs RI in double gang rape case

A local court today sentenced five persons to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment in the double gang rape of a 16-year old girl about a year ago.
One of the accused who had turned approver in the case, in which the victim committed suicide, was acquitted by Second Additional Judicial Magistrate Santanu Jha.
The North 24 Parganas court had yesterday found the five accused guilty under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 376(2)(g) (gang rape) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and the quantum of punishment was pronounced today.
The five -- Sanjib Talukdar alias Chottu, Palaash Debnath, Papai Roy, Rajesh Mondal and Rajib Biswas -- were also fined Rs 5000 each and in default, would have to undergo an additional year in rigorous imprisonment. The sixth one turned approver.

The victim, the daughter of a taxi driver from Bihar, had been kidnapped and gang raped by five local youths at Madhyamgram in North 24-Parganas district on October 25, 2013.
She was again gang raped by the same youths while returning from a police station after lodging a complaint.

Her family thereafter changed their residence from Madhyamgram to Dum Dum, near Kolkata.
Six people were arrested but the victim's family members alleged that on December 23, a close associate of the gang leader Chottu had visited their Dum Dum residence and threatened them with dire consequences if the girl did not withdraw her complaint.

She succumbed to her burn injuries on December 31 after having set herself on fire on December 23.