Rape and twin murder: Death for two, double life term for three

The first victim S Thangavel (45) of Thundukaatuthottam near Rasakavundampalayam in Palladam, Tirupur, got Rs 60,000 as advance to work in the power loom unit of P Selvam alias Koolai Selvam alias Subramaniam (43) of Paarakadu Maanikaapuram in Palladam. But he did not continue work and did not return the money even after six months.

Police sources said that due to this there was enmity between Selvam and Thangavel. On October 5, 2015, Selvam and his accomplices M Deivasigamani (39), K Nagaraj (27) and S Anandhan (27) of Palladam and V Rangaraj (39) of Coimbatore abducted Thangavel and his daughter when they were returning home from Palladam. The same night they took the father and daughter to Selvam’s house cum power loom unit, where they hit Thangavel with logs and pipes and killed him. The accused burnt the body before taking the girl to Vadavalli in Coimbatore. Two of the accused raped the girl and murdered her. Later they burnt the body of the girl. On October 6, the district police units of Coimbatore and Tirupur recovered the charred bodies of the father and the girl. Investigations revealed that the two werekilled by the same gang. 

The accused were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, arrested and remanded. Trail in the case was conducted before the Tirupur district mahila court. A Mohamed Jiyabutheen, the judge pronounced the judgement on Monday. He awarded death sentence to Selvam and Rangaraj for raping and murdering the minor girl. Selvam was also awarded six months for criminal conspiracy, 10 years for abduction for murder, life imprisonment for murdering the father, five years for destroying evidences and 10 years for raping the girl. 

In addition to hanging, Rangaraj was also awarded 10 year jail term for raping the girl. Deivasigamani, Nagaraj and Anandhan were awarded double life term at one each for the two murders, 10 years for abduction for murder and five years for destroying evidences for committing the crime. 

The jail terms are to be served concurrently. Selvam’s wife Bagadeswari alias Eswari was acquitted as the charges against her could not be proved before the court.