Kullu, Himachal Pradesh:
A court in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh sentenced three Nepalese men to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for the gang-rape of a 30-year-old US national. The ruling came in less than six months, according to an official on Wednesday.
District and Session Judge Purender Vaidya on Tuesday sentenced Arjun, Lucky and Som Bahadur Tamang and imposed on them a fine of Rs.10,000 each. In case of default on payment, they will have to undergo another two-year jail term, an investigating officer told IANS.
Police filed a chargesheet against the accused, all drivers of Nepali nationality, within a week of the gang-rape on June 4.
The woman reached Manali, which is located approximately 500 km from Delhi, with three other women a day before the crime. She alleged that she was repeatedly raped by the three men who offered her a lift in a vehicle on June 4 when she could not find a taxi on the outskirts of Manali.
Police said the men drove the woman to a secluded spot to rape and rob her.
The accused have been convicted with rape, abduction and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The picturesque Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh is particularly famous among backpackers, especially from the US, Britain, Italy, France and Germany.