Accused acquitted in US student rape case

Mumbai, Oct 6 (IBNS): A Mumbai court on Wednesday acquitted six persons arrested on charges of raping a 23-year-old American student of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) last year.

The Sewri sessions court acquitted the accused due to lack of evidence.

The court observed that the prosecution failed tp produce corroborative evidence and ‘the victim’s testimony does not inspire confidence’.

Medical reports of the victim, whose identity was withheld, also did not support her claims.

“The benefit of doubt is given to the accused and hence they are acquitted,” the court observed.

The TISS student had accused the six of drugging her and then gang-raping her in April 2009.

The 23-year-old foreign national of Indian origin was pursuing a short-term course on Gender Studies and Development at the TISS.

The accused persons who were acquitted are Vinamra Soni (23), Harshavardhan Yadav (22), Jaskaran Singh (21), Dev Colabawala (21), Anish Borkataki (21) and Kundanraj Borgohain (22). They were arrested in April last year.

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