A youth who raped and murdered a college girl was awarded life imprisonment by a court in Krishnagiri on Monday.
S.
Govindan (23) of Pazhaiyur village near Chennappanaickanur in
Krishnagiri district was also facing charges of rape and murder of a
minor girl and attempt to kill a schoolteacher on different occasions,
police sources said.
On December 28, 2011, Govindan
attempted to murder a schoolteacher in Uthangarai. The victim raised an
alarm drawing the attention of some passers-by who nabbed the youth and
handed him over to the local police. Interrogation revealed that
Govindan was involved in the rape and murder of a college girl at
Uthangarai on January 21, 2011.
The teenager who did
not return home from college was found dead with a severe head injury
and a post-mortem revealed that she was sexually assaulted. He was also
accused in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl at Peelamedu in
Coimbatore district, the sources said.
After
obtaining conditional bail, Govindan made an attempt on the life of the
schoolteacher. He was then detained under the Goondas Act. In the case
pertaining to the rape and murder of the college girl, the Additional
Sessions Court in Krishnagiri sentenced the accused to life
imprisonment. He was also slapped with a ten year Rigorous Imprisonment
for rape and a penalty of Rs. 2,500.
“The modus operandi of the accused was to immobilise his victim by causing a severe head injury.
He would then rape them. Before escaping he would drop a big stone on the victim’s head to ensure death.
In
the first case he was released on bail because the charge sheet was not
filed within the stipulated time. In the second case, he was given bail
on the ground that the charge sheet was filed and investigation was
over,” a senior police official added.
