JAIPUR: Three persons were today sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by a court here for raping a 20-year old Japanese tourist on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway in February.
Three other persons, found guilty of harbouring the offenders, were sentenced to two years imprisonment by the court of Additional District Judge, Jaipur district, Girish Kumar Ojha.
The court acquitted three other accused named in the case. Main accused Ajit Singh Choudhary and his two friends-- Abrar and Abdul Wahid-- were awarded 20-year imprisonment under section 376 D (gang-rape) of IPC and others.
Choudhary was convicted under sections 376 D, 384 (extortion), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of Indian Penal Code. Abdul Wahid and Abrar were held guilty under sections 376 D, 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage) and 342 (wrongful confinement).
Ramraj, Shivraj and Ramveer were given two years jail term for harbouring the accused. They were slapped with a fine of Rs 5,000 by the court.
The court acquitted Dharmveer, Ravindra and Rajveer, public prosecutor Bhanwar Singh said. The Japanese girl was raped on the intervening night of February 8 and 9 at Mozamabad near Dudu area on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway, about 50 kms from the state capital Jaipur.
The girl had come to Jaipur as a tourist and was visiting Jal Mahal when Choudhary lured her on the pretext of taking her for sight-seeing.
Choudhary, who had introduced himself as a tourist guide, took her to a few tourist places during the day on his motorcycle and raped her at night at a deserted place near Mojamabad village in Dudu. He was caught on February 13. She was left at a lonely place after the offence. A passerby noticed her and took her to Dudu police station where a case was registered.
The charge sheet was filed in the court within two weeks of the incident. There were a total of nine accused against whom the police had filed charge sheet under various sections including 376 D (gang-rape), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her for marriage), 342 (wrongful consignment), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and others. As per the section 376 D, where a woman is raped by one or more persons constituting a group or acting in furtherance of a common intention, each of those persons is considered deemed to have committed the offence of rape.