Chennai: Nine months after the gruesome rape and murder of a 24-year old woman techie in Siruseri, the Mahila Court in Chengalpattu on Friday convicted three migrant workers on charges of rape and murder and sentenced them to undergo life imprisonment.The incident sent shock wave across the state, most of all in the IT sector. The victim, who was from a village in Salem district, was an employee of Tata Consultancy Services, Kelambakkam.
Unidentified persons waylaid her when she was returning home from the company on a deserted stretch of road near the Siruseri IT park. She was forcefully taken to bushes by the roadside and killed after she was sexually abused. Her dead body was found near Siruseri SIPCOT complex on Feb. 22. The case, altered from woman missing to section 302 of IPC, was transferred to Crime Branch-CID.
Following a combing operation at the spot, the police recovered the ID card of the deceased. With the help of CCTV footage at a nearby ATM, the personnel stumbled upon a vital clue, which culminated in the arrest of Ram Mandal, Utam Mandal and Ujjal Mandal.
A total of 51 prosecution witness, 119 exhibits and 61 material objects were examined by the Mahila court judge Anandhi, who said the prosecution had proved the case beyond doubt. Based on the circumstantial evidence, the court pronounced them as guilty and sentenced them to life in prison.
