Youth gets double life for raping minor girls

In a speedy trial in the case related to shocking abduction and rape of two minor girl inmates of a private hostel in nearby Pollachi in June last, a 24-year old man was today sentenced to double life imprisonment by a women's court here.
Mahila Court Judge M P Subramanian awarded double life imprisonment to Guru alias Veerasami, holding him guilty of trespassing into the hostel run by a church, kidnapping two girls, aged around 10, on the night of June 11, and raping them on the terrace of a nearby building.
Police had charged Veerasami, arrested two days after the incident, under IPC sections 450 (trespass to commit crime, 366 (a) (procuration of minor girl) and 376 (rape).

The convict was also awarded sentences ranging from seven years to 10 years for different crimes such as kidnap, threatening and trespass.
All the sentences would run concurrently, the Judge said.
During the trial 62 witnesses deposed.

The judge also ordered the management of the hostel run by Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC) to pay Rs. 2.5 lakh each to the victims within 30 days, citing security lapse and directed the District Collector to take action in case of default.
The rape which came amid the growing incidents of crime against women across the country evoked shock and then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa held a review meeting with ministers and ordered police to nab the culprit immediately.

The girls were rescued and hospitalised after the inmates, one of whom was thrashed by the rapist, informed hostel management, who in turn alerted police.