Gaya:
Three persons were on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Gaya for raping a 25-year-old Japanese tourist, in a trial that lasted less than a month.
Handing down the sentence, District and Sessions Judge J K Sen observed that the crime was of a very serious nature. "Their acts have immensely harmed the reputation of Bihar and the nation as a whole."
The tourist was raped on April 16. Sentencing Pappu Kumar, Uday Kumar and Anuj Kumar, he also fined the convicts Rs 10,000 each.
Two other accused Lutan Yadav and Rajan Yadav are evading arrest. Their properties have been attached.
Police had filed the chargesheet on April 21.
The five had forced the woman out of an auto-rickshaw in which she was travelling from Bodh Gaya to the Gaya Railway station and raped her.