Two cabbies get 20-yr imprisonment for gangraping techie

HYDERABAD: A local court today convicted two cab drivers for the gangrape of a young woman software employee here in October last year and sentenced them to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment. Satish and Venkateshwarlu, private car drivers (both aged around 25), were arrested by Cyberabad Police on October 22 last year on charges of raping a 22-year-old software professional near a forest area on the city outskirts after abducting her in their four-wheeler. Both the accused were found guilty of gangraping the young woman after kidnapping her and convicted under relevant sections of IPC by the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court of Cyberabad (Ranga Reddy), Public Prosecutor Nagaraju said. According to the Public Prosecutor, the court sentenced Satish and Venkateshwarlu to 20 year RI under section 376 D, three years under section 363 and for one year under section 342 of IPC, besides imposing Rs 1,000 fine on each of them. All the sentences will run concurrently. The defence, in the meanwhile, said they will challenge this court order. According to prosecution, the techie, working in a IT company in the city, was on her way to her hostel and was waiting to hire a vehicle near a shopping mall under Madhapur police station limits when the duo approached her and offered to drop her. With the help of NIA, the Cyberabad police had got the enhanced CCTV footage of the car passing through the route on the intervening night of October 17 and 18 last year. Instead of dropping her at the hostel, they took her towards the Kolluru forest area in neighbouring Medak district and committed the crime. The duo were earlier booked by Cyberabad Police on charges of kidnapping, gang rape, criminal intimidation, illegal confinement and other relevant charges under IPC.