The Dang District Court on Sunday convicted 10 people on the charge of raping an 18-year-old woman following her abduction in Tulsipur on June 29, 2010. Among the convicted seven are in police custody, while the remaining three are still at large.

The court handed out 10 years jail sentence and a fine of Rs 50,000 each to four of the defendants—Buddi Prakash KC, Sunil Wali, Yadav Tandan Khatri and Suresh KC—and prison term of two years each to Sachin Yogi, Krishna Sagar Wali and Minketan Giri. The court gave four years jail term and a fine of Rs 5,000 each to three absconding convicts—Nabin Basnet, Chandra BM and Rajiv Koirala—for aiding and abetting. 

Three months ago, the Tulsipur-based appellate court had also indicted seven people on the charge of raping a woman at Bijauri of Dang on March 28, 2009. The victim had died while undergoing treatment.

The convicts—Basanta Khadka, Mohan Pun, Yamaraj Khadka, Bishnu Prasad Dangi, Yuvaraj Panthi, Maniram Pokharel and Kahiram Marasini—were given 10 years jail term and a fine of Rs 50,000 each. Earlier, the district court had convicted only four of them and ruled five years prison term against them.

Discontented with the decision, the plaintiff had moved the appellate court that convicted all seven people involved in the incident and raised the penalty as well.

According to the District Police Office, 14 rape cases were reported in the district in past one year, while 19 people were arrested.

District police chief Ganesh Bahadur Ayer said many rape cases go unreported; only incidents of gangrapes are reported to the police. He said the conviction of 17 people by the court within three months should act as a deterrent to cases of rapes in the district.

Source: The Kathmandu Post – 11.07.2011