Rape accused plead for mercy

The accused in the bus gangrape case have now begun praying for the speedy recovery of the 23-year-old girl too. More than 10 days ago, they had brutally raped and assaulted her. Harish V Nair reports.

The accused in the bus gangrape case have now begun praying for the speedy recovery of the 23-year-old girl too. More than 10 days ago, they had brutally raped and assaulted her.

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Now remorseful, two of accused - 18-year-old Pawan Gupta and 20-year-old Vinay Sharma - are now pleading with Tihar jail authorities to set them free so that they can "serve the victim" their entire life.

"They admitted to have committed a gruesome crime and claimed they were not in their senses then. But now they are pleading with the jail authorities to set them free so that they can find a good job for themselves and give all the money to the girl their entire life. They are also seeking the help of other inmates to put across their point to the authorities," a jail official said.

The two are the youngest of the five accused lodged in the Tihar jail. "We told them that we can't do anything; they can tell the judge all this in the next hearing", the official said.

Gupta is accused of assaulting the victim's male friend. Sharma has been accused of brutally assaulting the girl's friend before sexually assaulting her.