Chennai: A Mahila Court has acquitted two youth from charges of abducting and raping young girls who frequently visited famous hotels at Vadapalani here.
The charges against the duo were not proved by police. In the result, the accused are entitled to benefit of doubt, Sessions judge R. Kalaimathi said.
According to prosecution, a gang used to hire rooms in Vadapalani hotels to rape abducted teenaged girls. The gang members were also accused of collecting ransom from the victims’ family members.
A room was booked in a hotel in a fictitious name of Vinothkumar, 44, Perunthurai Road, Erode, on May 8, 2009 at 4.00 pm. A few members of the group assembled in the room. They spotted a car in which four young girls came to a nearby hotel. The car was driven by Dhanesh. The group rounded up the car and closed its doors.
A gang member Sukumar threatened Dhanesh not to shout and Somu and Sukumar took the cellphones from the girls. While two others trailed the car on a bike to Tindivanam. Naresh Kumar went to Tindivanam by bus. On instruction from Sukumar, S. Kubera Raja, 28, booked rooms in a lodge at Tindivanam. The girls were confined in rooms in the lodge.
A few members in the gang raped the girls and later sought ransom from their relatives. A relative of a girl agreed to pay Rs 2 lakh and two others in the gang planned to collect the amount near Saravana Bhavan Hotel at Anna Nagar. On seeing police, they tried to escape, but were arrested, the prosecution said.
The Arumbakkam police filed a case against 11 persons, including Rubeskanth, Dineshkanth, Kuberaraja, Mohan alias Mogaraj, Sukumar, Premchand, Balamurugan, Somasundaram and Naresh. The case was split up. A few years ago, the accused in the main case were acquitted from the charges.
The trial against Naresh and Kubera Raja commenced a few months ago. Counsel for Naresh and Kubera Raja contended that except an official witness, none of the witnesses supported the prosecution case and hence the accused may be acquitted.
Judge R. Kalaimathi said there was no incriminating evidence against Naresh and Kubera Raja. In the absence of oral evidence of victims, based on the identification parade, evidence of doctors, magistrates and investigating officer, in the interest of justice, accused cannot be convicted.
