COIMBATORE: The Mahila court here on Tuesday sentenced serial offender ‘Gym’ Hakkim to life and his five accomplices to 20 years each in prison in the November 2008 rape of a PG student, here on Tuesday.
Abdul Hakkim alias ‘Gym’ Hakkim (32) and his accomplices were sentenced for kidnapping and subsequently raping a college student. The victim, along with a friend, was travelling in a car on Race Course road when Hakkim and two of his friends intercepted them.
After taking over the vehicle, the gang took the car to a dilapidated building in Kadambadi village near Sulur. There Hakkim, along with seven others - identified as K George Kingsley (36), from Tirupur, A Mohammed Aniz (38), S Manikandan (24), from Podanur, S Kathik alias Karthikeyan (30), from Rathinapuri, S Miga Prakash (30) and S Anandaraj - allegedly took pictures of the couple in compromising position and tried to extort `5 lakh.
The gang, after confining the victim in the building, sent her friend along with four accomplices to Saibaba Colony to collect the ransom. While her friend was away, Hakkim raped her.
The trial commenced in April 2012, during which the prosecution examined 22 witnesses. While Manikandan committed suicide during the trial, S Anandaraj has been evading justice for the last six years.
All the six arrested were charged under 10 sections of the IPC.
Delivering the verdict in front of a packed courthouse, sessions judge M P Subramanian convicted the prime accused ‘Gym’ Hakkim to life.
He was found guilty of rape, rioting with deadly weapons, two counts of kidnapping, wrongful confinement, robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause grievous hurt, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.
Hakkim was sentenced to life in prison for rape, a one-year term plus a `5,000 fine for rioting, 20 years and `20,000 for kidnap, a year plus `5,000 for wrongful confinement, seven years for dacoity and a fine of `10,000, one year for criminal intimidation plus a `5,000 fine and seven years for criminal conspiracy plus a `10,000 fine. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Hakkim was also ordered to pay `1 lakh compensation to the victim. If the victim did not wish to receive the money, the judge said that the amount was to be used for the legal aid of other plaintiffs.
The other four accused - K George Kingsley, Mohammed Aniz, S Karthik and S Miga Prakash - were found guilty of rioting, kidnapping, wrongful confinement, dacoity and criminal conspiracy. They were sentenced to 20 years each in prison.
The special public prosecutor, R Sarojini, speaking to Express, said she was ‘happy’ with the verdict and added that the offenders had been punished to the fullest extent.
Meanwhile, Hakkim and one of his associates were acquitted in another case pertaining to the kidnap and molestation of a 29-year-old Pollachi woman near Sidhapudur in 2010.