Three men gang-rape, kill 15-year-old girl, bag death sentence

A local court in India’s western state of Maharashtra has sentenced to death three people for gang-raping, and murder of a 15-year-old girl in 2014, officials said on Saturday.

“The district judge sentenced Santosh Lonkar, Mangesh Lonkar and Datta Shinde to death in the gang rape and murder of the minor.


“The three convicted persons were found to have been involved in the 2014 Loni Mavala gang rape and murder case,’’ a court official at Amhednagar district court said.

Local media reports said parents of the victim hailed the judgment.

Police said on August 22, 2014, a Class Nine (JS3) student was kidnapped in the Loni Mavala area of Ahmednagar district, east of Mumbai city, and subjected to gang rape.

However, the victim was subsequently murdered.

The girl’s family told police she was kidnapped while on her way to meet her grandfather.

The police later found her body, with several knife cuts, by the roadside.

The gruesome crime had sent shock waves in the entire state and triggered protests, demanding speedy trial to ensure justice for the victim’s family.

Report said sexual attacks on women and girls in India put a question mark on women’s safety. (Xinhua/NAN)