3 sentenced to death for gang-rape, murder in India

A local court in India's eastern state of West Bengal Saturday sentenced three convicts to death and three others to life imprisonment for the gang-rape and murder of a 21-year-old woman, officials said.

"Chief judicial magistrate in Kolkata has granted death sentences to three convicts and handed down life sentences to other three in a case of gang-rape and murder of a college student," a court official in Kolkata said. "The case falls under rarest of rare cases and was a gruesome crime."

The young woman was abducted while returning home from her college in 2013.

Police said the accused took her inside an isolated compound of a factory at Kamduni village in Paraganas district, about 40 km from capital city Kolkata, and murdered her before committing gang-rape.

The court however acquitted two in the case for lack of evidence.

Prosecutors said nine men were arrested for the crime, of whom one died of illness last year.

The case triggered public anger and massive demonstrations in the state, demanding safety for women.

The verdict was pronounced by judge Sanchita Sarkar in a packed court room where the victim's family was also present.

Kamduni gang-rape as it was known came months after the fatal gang-rape of a medical student in India's capital city New Delhi in Dec. 2012, which brought spotlight on crimes against women in the country.

The incident saw huge protests and resulted in new anti-rape laws in the country. Brutal sexual attacks however, against women continue to be reported across the country. Endit