Rayagada: A local court Tuesday sentenced nine individuals, including notorious criminal Hadaapa Shiva, to life imprisonment for abduction, unnatural sexual assault, and attempted murder. Additional District and Sessions Judge Alpana Swain convicted the accused—Hadaapa Shiva, G Bangaru, Shunthi Suraj, Shunthi Prakash, Majhi Raja, Majhi Joseph, G Venu, G Teja, and G Surendra—following testimonies from 36 witnesses.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on eight convicts and Rs 10,000 on Majhi Raja, with an additional six months in prison for non-payment. While three convicts were already imprisoned, six were out on bail.
Notably, Shunthi Prakash fled the court premises upon hearing the verdict, prompting a police manhunt. The case stems from an incident November 18, 2019. The convicts accosted the victim, Bibhuti Bhushan Pujari, aboard Dhanbad Express near Titilagarh’s Terapali station. Claiming he was carrying ganja, they demanded a Rs 10 lakh ransom. When he refused, they abducted him to the banks of the Nagavali River in Rayagada and sodomised him. A case (425/19) was registered at the Rayagada police station.
Meanwhile, tension erupted outside the courtroom as family members of the convicts staged a protest against the ruling. Rayagada SDPO Gourahari Sahu and a police team reached the spot and brought the situation under control.
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