Man convicted for rape, murder of Andhra Pradesh techie
Defence lawyer had called three defence witnesses to prove convict’s innocence
Mumbai: A special women’s court in Mumbai on Tuesday convicted 29-year-old Chandrabhan Sudam Sanap in the rape and murder of the Hyderabad-based techie Esther Anuhya in January last year. The court is likely to pronounce the quantum of punishment on Wednesday.
Judge Vrushali Joshi while pronouncing the judgement on Tuesday. told the accused that the court has found him guilty of all charges including rape, murder and destruction of evidence.
Special public prosecutor Raja Thakre had examined 39 witnesses including two eyewitnesses to prove the case against the accused. These two witnesses claimed that they had seen the accused with the victim for the last time. The prosecution also relied on CCTV footage and two more witnesses who had seen Sanap at the railway station.
Defence lawyer Prakash Salsingikar had called three defence witnesses to prove Chandrabhan’s innocence. The prosecution’s case is that the 23-year-old techie, employed with IT major TCS in Goregaon went missing after alighting at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus from a train at 4.55 am on January 5.
She was returning to Mumbai, where she worked, after celebrating Christmas with her family in Andhra Pradesh. Sanap met her at the railway station and convinced Anuhya to go with him. On the way he raped and robbed her, but when she resisted, he strangulated her. A few days later, the police found her half-burnt, partly decomposed body in the mangroves off the Eastern Express Highway in Kanjurmarg.