the goan I network
MARGAO
Trial in the Betalbatim gang rape commenced in the South Goa Sessions Court on Thursday with the court examining the victim girl.
Though the examination of the complainant girl was scheduled to be conducted via video conferencing, the three accused from Indore, Madhya Pradesh were brought to the court for the trial.
Examination of the victim girl, which was conducted in camera, were partly completed and sources said the victim will be examined via video conferencing at the next date of hearing on November 13.
At the last date of hearing, the Court had framed charges under Section 376-D of the IPC for gang rape, wrongful restraint (Section 341), assault (323), robbery (392) and extortion (384) were formally charged against the three accused Ishwar Mackwana (27), Ram Bariya (19) and Sanjeev Pal (23).
The trio has been charged on the ground that on the night of May 24, between 8.20 pm to 8.50 pm, the accused persons wrongfully restrained the 20-year-old victim girl and her boyfriend and threatened them with dire consequences before inducing the boy to hand over the keys of the scooter, thereby committing robbery.
The trio later assaulted the victim’s boyfriend with fist blows and thereafter had forceful sexual intercourse with the victim in
turns against her wish and consent.
They were also charged for forcefully getting the victim and her boyfriend to undress before clicking their photos and video in a semi-nude state and demanded an amount of Rs 10,500 in a bid to extort money from the victims or else threatened to make the photograph and the video of the duo viral on social media.
