The Additional District Judge (ADJ) Court in Rayagada has sentenced nine individuals to life imprisonment in connection with a sensational 2019 kidnapping case.
The court also slapped financial penalties ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 on each of the convicts.
According to case records, the incident occurred on November 18, 2019, when a young man hailing from Subarnapur district was abducted near Lada railway station under Rayagada police limits. Following a complaint, Rayagada police registered Case No. 425/19, launched an investigation, and subsequently arrested the nine accused before sending them to judicial custody.
After a lengthy trial in CT Case No. 32/2020, ADJ Judge Alpana Swain found all nine accused guilty under Sections 364(A) (kidnapping for ransom), 377, and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with relevant provisions of the Arms Act for possessing lethal weapons.
The nine convicts have been identified as Hadapa Shiva, G Bangaru, Sundhi Suraj, Sundhi Prakash, Majhi Raja, Majhi Joseph, G Venu, G Teja, and G Surendra. Public Prosecutor Rajat Ranjan Khatua represented the state during the trial.
Tension flared on the court premises following the announcement of the verdict as family members of the convicts staged a protest. Upon receiving information, Rayagada SDPO Gourahari Sahu and a police team arrived at the spot to pacify the crowd and maintain order.
