The Pauri District and Session Judge Kumkum Rani found accused Shamsher, Ghulam Rasul, Safaruddin Jahur, Vazir, Dadi and Masta guilty of committing the crimes of kidnapping, rape, dacoity in the home of a Van Gujjar family in the forest of Sigaddi on January 1 this year and sentenced all accused under different sections of Indian Penal Code on Saturday late evening.
The Session Judge has sentenced Shamsher to concurrent imprisonment of eight years under section 376, seven years each under sections 366 and 395, two years under section 506 and one year under section 323 in addition to which he will also have to pay a fine totaling to Rs 31,000 under the aforesaid sections of IPC. The court sentenced Masta to seven years imprisonment and Rs 2000 fine under section 120-B for criminal conspiracy and sentenced Ghulam Rasul, Saffaruddin Jahur, Vazir and Dadi under sections 366, 395, 323 and 506 IPC to the same punishment as Shamsher. The court has ordered that Rs 60,000 will be given to the victim out of the total fine of Rs 63000.
According to District Government Councellor (Criminal) KP Dangwal, the mother of the victim lodged an FIR in the revenue police post at Ajmerwala under Kotdwar Tehsil on January 3. The report said that six persons entered her home in the Sigaddi forest late at night on January 2. The complainant was with her chidren including a 16-year old daughter while her husband Feroz was attending a marriage ceremony at Shyampur Kagari. She knew four of the six persons who barged in the home.
They had kidnapped her daughter and when they were resisted they manhandled her and snatched her ornaments and robbed the family of Rs 5,000. She informed her brother in-law the next morning after which her husband was also informed. Feroz went to Kalaghati police post where police refused to lodge the report stating that the incident had taken place under the jurisdiction of therevenue police.
On January 3 the revenue police sub inspector lodged the report on the direction of Nayab Tehsildar. The team of revenue police along with the father and uncle went to the forest of Kallikhut in Bazpur (Udham Singh Nagar) where the victim’s daughter cried out on seeing her father while the accused ran away. The 16 year daughter said that she had been raped by Shamsher and narrated the chain of events to revenue police. The statement of the victim was recorded by the Kotdwar judicial magistrate under section 164 CrPC.