Man sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment in rape case

A 28-year-old man, earlier arrested for sexually assaulting a young woman on the false promise of marriage, was sentenced to undergo 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Medchal–Malkajgiri district court at Kushaiguda on Tuesday. The accused was identified as Bitla Venkat Sai of Mahendranagar Colony in Jeedimetla, Medchal–Malkajgiri district.

According to the prosecution, Venkat Sai was sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹10,000 for the offence of rape. He was also awarded one year of simple imprisonment with a fine of ₹1,000 each for offences of cheating and criminal intimidation.

The case dates back to February 2017, when the victim’s mother lodged a complaint stating that her daughter, then aged about 20, was acquainted with the accused for nearly four years. During this period, he allegedly developed a relationship with her by falsely promising marriage and repeatedly subjected her to sexual assault.

On January 30, 2017, the accused allegedly quarrelled with the victim and refused to marry her, following which she attempted suicide by jumping from the third floor of a building, and was hospitalised. After regaining consciousness on February 5, the victim informed her family that the accused had sexually assaulted her and threatened to circulate her photographs and kill her and her family members.

Based on the complaint, Balanagar police registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and arrested the accused on February 12, 2017. He was remanded to judicial custody and a charge sheet was later filed after completion of the investigation.

After examining the evidence and witness testimonies, the court held the accused guilty and pronounced the sentence.