BENGALURU: Confirming the death sentence ordered by a trial court in Mangaluru against three accused from Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand for the gang rape and murder of a minor girl, the Karnataka High Court passed ordered that the trio be hanged till death.
A division bench of Justices HP Sandesh and Venkatesh Naik T delivered the verdict, dismissing appeals filed by the accused, questioning the conviction and death sentence orders passed by the trial court on October 29, 2024 and November 7, 2024.
The accused -- Jayban Adivasi (27), Mukesh Singh (25), both from Madhya Pradesh, and Manish Thirki (44) from Jharkhand -- were sentenced for offences punishable under provisions of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, with a total fine of Rs 1.20 lakh.
The high court stated that the girl, who was 7 years and 7 months, was raped and murdered, and it is nothing but a crime against society at large. If a lesser sentence is imposed, it will give a wrong message to society and the public at large, and this act of subjecting the minor girl to satisfy their lust would be encouraged, and such an act has to be curbed with iron hands.
“Hence, we are of the view that the trial court has not committed any error in imposing the death sentence, and it requires confirmation as sought by the trial judge,” it said.
The accused, working at a tiles factory near Vamanjoor in Mangaluru, along with one other accused, conspired to commit the crime against the daughter of labourers working in the same factory.
Taking advantage of a holiday at the factory and absence of any workers on the premises on November 21, 2021, the accused gave her chikkis and some coins to lure her into the brick kiln. First, the first accused committed the rape and also unnatural sexual assault.
Then the third accused committed rape, and the first accused committed sexual assault. Due to which the victim girl suffered severe bleeding. When she was crying, the first accused closed her mouth with one hand and pressed her neck with another hand, killing her on the spot. Later, they threw the body into a drain. The fourth accused was not subjected to the decision of the trial court, as after the trial, he had escaped.
Court convicts 3 in Hampi gang-rape, murder case
Koppal: The Gangavathi District Additional District Court in Koppal has convicted all three accused in the gang-rape of two women, one a foreign national, and the killing of a male tourist near Hampi. The court will pronounce the sentence on February 16 after hearing the convicts, police sources said. The incident occurred in March last year near the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal in Sanapura, close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi.
The convicted individuals, Mallesh, Sai and Sharanappa, were found guilty of the rape and murder. On March 6, 2025, five tourists staying at an Anegundi homestay had gone for a walk after dinner and were sitting by the canal listening to music when three intoxicated assailants approached them with the intent to rob. The attackers assaulted the three men, pushing them into the lake and gang-raped the two women. While two of the men managed to swim ashore, the third, Bibhasha from Odisha, drowned after sustaining a severe head injury.
His body was recovered 24 hours later. The victims included an Israeli and an Indian woman. Among the injured were Daniel, a German national, and Pankaj, a resident of Maharashtra.