Pune BPO girl rape and murder case: Two convicts get death sentence

Delhi:  A Pune court has sentenced two men to death for raping and murdering a call centre employee in 2007.
Jyoti Chowdhari, 22, was traveling in her company's pick-up cab on November 1, 2007, when the driver Purushottam Borate and his friend Pradeep Kokate raped and then brutally killed her.
While sentencing the two men to death today, the judge said that the crime was committed with extreme brutality and that sheer lust had driven the accused to rape and murder. He noted that it was a pre-determined act that led a young, hapless girl to lose her life. And that after the crime the two men had calmly pretended that nothing had happened. The judge flatly rejected the defence plea that he show leniency as the accused were young men who should be allowed to reform. He repeatedly mentioned the brutality with which Jyoti was raped and killed.
The public prosecutor, Ujwal Nikam, while calling for maximum punishment, had noted yesterday, ''They had cut her blood vessels in the right wrist and thereafter they threw a stone on her head, and then strangled her with her odhni. I further pointed out to the court that even after committing rape and murder the accused person did not show any repentance or remorse.''
The cab driver and his accomplice were pronounced guilty of raping and murdering Jyoti by the court on last Saturday.  

Purushottam Borate had reportedly picked Jyoti from her home at 10 pm for her night shift at the call centre, situated at Hinjewadi area in Pune. According to reports, the driver was joined by his friend Pradeep Kokate in the cab. Ms Jyoti was talking on the phone with her boyfriend and did not realise where they were headed. At 11 pm, Ms Jyoti's boyfriend heard her ask the driver why had he stopped the car after which the phone was disconnected and was unreachable, say reports.

Jyoti's body was found next day in Gahunje a Pune village. The autopsy revealed that she had been raped and strangled to death.

"Let me thank the honorable court for delivering this justice to us. We know very well that Jyoti is not coming back but this judgment is a landmark judgment. We hope it will serve as a deterrent," said a relative of the victim today.

Jyoti, who belonged to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a Science graduate from the University of Pune. She lived with her sister and brother-in-law in the Panchavati area of Pashan and had joined the call centre as an associate in December 2006.

The shocking case was an eye-opener for the booming IT-BPO-call centre industry in Pune in 2007; Jyoti's rape and murder made the industry and police review the safety of women working in the IT industry. Most companies now have security guards in office vehicles when women employees are being dropped off or picked up, especially in the night.

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Pune BPO girl rape and murder case: Cab driver, accomplice found guilty

Pune:  A cab driver and his accomplice, accused of rape and murder of a 22-year-old BPO employee in Pune, were pronounced guilty of both charges by a Pune Court on Saturday. The sentence for the duo would be given by the court on Monday.

Jyoti Kumari Chowdhari, a BPO employee in a multinational company, was allegedly raped and murdered by the driver of company's pick-up car on November 1, 2007.

The driver Purushottam Borate had reportedly picked Ms Jyoti at 10 pm for her night shift in the BPO, situated at Hinjweadi area in Pune. According to reports, the driver was joined by his friend Pradeep Kokate in the cab. Ms Jyoti was talking on the phone with her boyfriend and did not realise where they were headed. At 11 pm Ms Jyoti's boyfriend heard her ask the driver why had he stopped the car after which the phone was disconnected and was unreachable, say reports.

Ms Jyoti's body was found next day at Gahunje village. She was raped and had been strangulated to death.

Ms Jyoti, who was from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a Science graduate from the University of Pune. She was staying with her sister and brother-in-law in Panchavati area of Pashan and had joined a call centre as an associate in December 2006.

The case had sent shock waves in the IT and BPO industry in Pune and had exposed the vulnerability and lack of safety of women employees working in BPO units and call centres.

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Man gets death for rape, murder of 75-year-old

Sirsa, Haryana:  Over one year after he raped a 75-year-old woman and then strangled her to death, a man was condemned to the gallows by a court in Haryana's Sirsa town on Tuesday.

In a historic judgment, Additional Sessions Judge Neelima Shangla termed the case as "rarest of the rare" and awarded death sentence to Nikka Singh, 22, for the rape and murder of Gurdev Kaur.

The incident took place in February last year in Sanwat Khera village of this district, 300 kilometer from Chandigarh.

According to police, the accused waylaid the old woman, who had ventured out of her house for a walk in the afternoon, near some fields. He first raped the victim by gagging her mouth with her shawl and then murdered her by strangling her with her dupatta.

When the old woman did not return, her family went looking for her and found her body in the fields. Some villagers had seen the accused near the same spot earlier and he was arrested later on the basis of suspicion.

Police said that the accused had earlier also attempted to rape two other women of the same village.

Judge Shangla held that "there are no mitigating circumstances and the case is undoubtedly 'rarest of rare case' where the sentence of death alone would meet the ends of justice".

Describing Nikka Singh as a savage-type of person whose "existence on earth is a grave danger to the society", the court said: "Hence, imposition of death sentence is most appropriate in this case as justice demands that court must impose punishment befitting the crime."

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Lie detector for BJP politician in Shehla Masood murder case

Bhopal:  A CBI court has today ruled that a BJP leader from Bhopal will have to go through a lie detector test. Dhruv Narayan Singh, a MLA, has been interrogated thrice in connection with the murder of activist Shehla Masood who was found dead in her car last year.

Ms Masood's assassination was allegedly planned by Zahida Parvez, an interior decorator who was jealous of the activist's close friendship with Mr Singh. Ms Parvez was allegedly involved with the 53-year-old MLA, and stalked him secretly. The CBI believes she monitored his phone bills to track who he was in touch with, and followed him once to Ms Masood' home. These details were revealed by a diary that Ms Parvez fastidiously maintained; it is now important evidence against her.

The interior decorator who was arrested last week has consented to a lie detector test. Two men who helped her kill Ms Masood have also been arrested; so has a woman named Saba Farooqi who was close to Ms Parvez and was aware of her plans to murder the activist.

Mr Singh, the son of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Govind Singh, was also chairman of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) and Bhopal Development Authority (BDA). 

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Murder case in Italy against marines who shot Kerala fishermen

Kochi:  The Italian government says that two of its marines, currently in a Kerala jail for shooting two fishermen from Kochi, will be tried for murder in Italy.  This is part of Italy's attempts to persuade India to release the marines who were arrested a few weeks ago.
The marines were on board an Italian merchant vessel en route from Dubai to Singapore.  They say they mistook a boat of fishermen for Somalian pirates and opened fire.  Two fishermen died.
India says because the incident took place within its waters, the marines must face a trial here according to Indian law.  Italy has disputed that, describing the arrests of the guards as coercive and unilateral.   A series of Italian delegates including the country's foreign minister have met with SM Krishna, Minister for External Affairs. They have stressed that as members of the Navy, the marines are entitled to immunity abroad, and should be tried in their home country.

The Kerala High Court is also hearing a case filed by the family of one of the men who was killed. His relatives have asked for a crore as compensation.  The lawyers representing the Italians have told the High Court that the Italian government has initiated criminal proceedings against the marines.   The murder charges against them mean they could face upto 21 years in prison, according to Italian law.

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