Kerela: A sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram sentenced two criminals to life in prison on Tuesday, nearly four years after they brutally raped and murdered a female Latvian tourist at Kovalam, a popular beach destination in southern Kerala.
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Sections imposed on the convicts
Umesh (24) and Udaya Kumar (28) have both been ordered to pay a fine as well. They were found guilty of murder (section 302), rape (section 376), and evidence destruction (section 206) under the Indian Penal Code, as well as provision 20(B) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
Despite the fact that the additional sessions court stated that it was one of the rarest of rare situations, both were spared the death penalty due to their age.
When the judge inquired if they regretted their acts, they both remained mute and denied committing the crime.
According to the prosecution, the convicts, one a small-time guide and the other a drug peddler, are history-sheeters. On Friday, the court convicted them guilty.
“I am overjoyed that my sister has finally received justice. The present punishment is more than the noose, and it will serve as a powerful deterrent against such actions,” she stated on social media from her home in the Netherlands. Mohanraj, the public prosecutor, expressed satisfaction with the verdict.
The 33-year-old tourist arrived in Kerala with her sister in February 2018 for an Ayurvedic treatment but went missing on March 14, 2018.
Her sister travelled the state, announcing incentives for any news, but to no effect. On April 21, 2018, the woman’s body was retrieved from a dense mangrove near Kovalam. The sister identified her sister’s body, cremated it, and returned the ashes to her homeland.
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Honey trap laid by the convicts for Latvian tourist
According to the prosecution, the couple befriended the tourist and brought her to a lovely location near the shore before offering her marijuana-laced beedi. When she recovered consciousness and threatened to approach the police, the men sexually attacked her and strangled her to death with her shawl.
They also attempted to cover it up by tying her body to a tree.
However, the post-mortem investigation revealed that she was extensively drugged, physically beaten, and strangled to death.
Last year, the Kerala High Court ordered the Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court to expedite the trial and render a decision. During the five-month trial, the prosecution called 30 witnesses, two of whom became hostile.
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