Koraput (Odisha), Nov 3 (PTI) A court in Odisha's Rayagada district on Tuesday sentenced nine men to life imprisonment for

Koraput (Odisha), Nov 3 (PTI) A court in Odisha's Rayagada district on Tuesday sentenced nine men to life imprisonment for

Koraput (Odisha), Nov 3 (PTI) A court in Odisha's Rayagada district on Tuesday sentenced nine men to life imprisonment for

    Koraput (Odisha), Nov 3 (PTI) A court in Odisha's Rayagada district on Tuesday sentenced nine men to life imprisonment for the kidnapping, sexual assault and attempted murder of a young man in 2019, a public prosecutor said.

    Additional District and Sessions Judge, Rayagada, Alpana Swain pronounced the verdict in the case after examining 36 witnesses, relevant documents and exhibits.

    "The court has convicted all nine accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment. As many as 36 witnesses deposed during the trial, and the prosecution successfully established the charges against them," said public prosecutor Rajat Ranjan Khatua, who conducted the case on behalf of the state.

    The convicts have been identified as Hadapa Shiva, G Bangaru, Shundi Suraj, Shundi Prakash, Majhi Raja, Majhi Joseph, G Venu, G Teja and G Surendra.

    The court also imposed fines ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 20,000 on the convicts. Failure to pay the fines would invite an additional six months of imprisonment, he said.

    According to the prosecution, the victim was travelling from Chennai to Jharsuguda on November 18, 2019. He was allegedly abducted by the convicts near Lada railway station under the jurisdiction of Rayagada police station.

    Accusing the victim of transporting ganja, the convicts allegedly threatened to implicate him in a narcotics case and demanded Rs 10 lakh for his release.

    The convicts then kidnapped the victim and took him to a deserted place near Nagavali River in Rayagada and sexually assaulted him.

    When police reached the spot after getting information, the convicts opened fire at the law enforcers and the accused were subsequently arrested, the public prosecutor said.

    Tension prevailed on the court premises after the verdict, with family members of the convicts creating a commotion. Rayagada Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Gaurahari Sahu reached the spot along with a police team and brought the situation under control.

    Meanwhile, Shundi Prakash allegedly fled from the court premises after learning about the conviction while the proceedings were underway. Police have launched a manhunt to trace him.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)