Vithura rape case: Prime accused awarded 24 years imprisonment

A court in Kerala’s Kottayam on Friday sentenced a man to 24 years in prison for raping a girl and forcing her into prostitution two years after he was rearrested after absconding twice since the matter came to light in 1996

A court in Kerala’s Kottayam on Friday sentenced a man to 24 years in prison for raping a girl and forcing her into prostitution two years after he was rearrested after absconding twice since the matter came to light in 1996.

Representational Image.

Judge Johnson John also slapped a ₹10,900 fine on Suresh alias SM Shahjehan and said the convict did not deserve any sympathy.

Suresh was booked along with 40 others after the girl was arrested from a hotel in Ernakulam with a man and told the police she was forced into prostitution. According to the prosecution, the girl was 17-year-old when one of her relatives offered her a job. The relative took her to Suresh, who repeatedly raped her, confined her to his house, and forced her into prostitution.

Judge Johnson John also slapped a ₹10,900 fine on Suresh alias SM Shahjehan and said the convict did not deserve any sympathy.

After the police registered 40-odd cases against him, Suresh managed to escape while the relative died in an accident during the trial. He absconded for 18 years and surrendered in 2014 only to escape again in 2016. Suresh was arrested from Hyderabad in 2019, where he was living under a false identity.