A special court in India's Bengaluru city has convicted nine Bangladeshis and punished them with sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment in connection with the gang-rape of a Bangladeshi woman in 2021.
In a judgement pronounced on Monday, the court sentenced Chand Miya, Mohammed Rifakdul Islam, Mohammed Al Amin Hossien, Rakibul Islam , Mohammed Babu Sheik, Mohammed Dalim and Azim Hossain to rigorous Imprisonment for life.
Among the other convicts, Taniya Khan was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment while Mohammed Jamal five years.
Two other Bangladeshi nationals were convicted of offences under the Foreigners Act and sentenced to nine months of simple imprisonment.
Eleven, out of the 12 arrested and charge-sheeted, as well as the victim were Bangladeshi nationals who had entered India and lived in Bengaluru illegally. And another arrestee is an Indian who was acquitted as he turned into an approver in the case.
The charge sheet in the case was filed within 28 days of the crime and the trial was completed in three months.
The incident came to light after a video of the rape first went viral in Bangladesh and was then found to have been committed in Bengaluru.
A case was filed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act as well as under the Foreigners Act.
The incident had grabbed national headlines after the video of the assault had gone viral.
Bengaluru police found out that the incident had taken place in Kanaka Nagar in Ramamurthy Nagar police limits of Bengaluru city and arrested all the accused and booked them under of IPC, Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, IT Act and Foreigners Act.
The police who had arrested 12 persons found that 11 persons were illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and one turned out to be local.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (east) BheemashankarGuled said, "To deliver speedy justice, the investigation was taken up on war footing, using all scientific aids at disposal such as DNA analysis, electronic evidence, mobile forensics, fingerprint evidence and voice sampling.
The Government of Karnataka appointed Special Public Prosecutor VeerannaTigadi to conduct the prosecution and a special trial monitoring team was constituted by the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City, to assist and monitor the trial process, ensuring no delays are caused, he said.
A total of 44 witnesses were examined by the Learned Judge and the trial was completed in a record time of fewer than three months, added Guled.
