Yupia court sentences man to life for rape and robbery in 2016 case
Itanagar: The district and sessions court in Arunachal Pradesh's Yupia has sentenced a 44-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping a woman and robbing her of ₹ 35,000 in 2016, and said that the severity of the crime and the convict's past criminal record left no room for leniency (Representative photo)
Sessions judge Hirendra Kashyap on Thursday awarded life sentence to Aftab Sheikh, a resident of Ambiri Village in Assam's Sonitpur district, along with a fine of ₹ 20,000.
The court was hearing a 2016 case in which Sheikh allegedly offered a lift to the woman at night and took her to an isolated location, where he raped her and attempted to orchestrate a gang-rape by summoning an accomplice. The attempt was foiled after the woman's family members arrived at the spot. Before fleeing the scene, Sheikh reportedly robbed the victim of ₹ 35,000 — her earnings from selling traditional ornaments that day.
Rejecting the defence plea for leniency on the grounds of his wife's ill health, the court said that the convict's conduct demonstrated 'involvement in organised crime' and a tendency to 'change identity to mislead investigations.'
Sheikh was absconding during trial proceedings in the current case and was arrested after repeated non-bailable warrants were issued.
The court said that Sheikh, who also went by the alias Aryan Sharma, was acquitted in a separate bike theft case only on benefit of doubt due to lack of CCTV evidence. He was also found involved in another pending sessions case related to alleged conspiracy for a bank robbery.
'The conduct of the convict does not inspire this court for any leniency in sentencing,' the judge observed, ruling out any relief under Section 360 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) or the Probation of Offenders Act.
The court also ordered that the period of nearly 3 years and 11 months already spent in custody during investigation and trial be set off from the sentence under Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Additionally, the case has been referred to the district legal services authority for providing compensation to the woman under the Arunachal Pradesh Victim Compensation Scheme, 2011.
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