Vadodara Gangrape: Five Convicts Get Life Term

VADODARA : Nearly two years after a teenager’s Navratri outing turned into a horrific crime, a Vadodara POCSO court has sentenced five convicts to life imprisonment in the sensational Bhayli gangrape case, marking the first instance in the city of five accused receiving life terms in such a case.

The court, on August 20, convicted all five accused in connection with the October 4, 2024 assault of a 16-year-old girl who had gone out to play Garba with a friend. It also ordered ₹10 lakh compensation for the victim, while imposing a ₹50,000 fine on each convict.

Special Public Prosecutor Nayan Sukhdwala said the prosecution successfully connected the circumstantial evidence and established the case beyond reasonable doubt.

“Every link in the chain of circumstantial evidence was properly established before the court,” Sukhdwala said, adding that the court also followed Supreme Court guidelines in the Ishan Kumar case.

The incident occurred in an isolated area of Bhayli, where the accused allegedly arrived on two motorcycles, threatened the teenager and her friend and subsequently sexually assaulted the minor. Her mobile phone was allegedly stolen and later thrown into the Vishwamitri river.

With no CCTV camera at the crime scene, police examined more than 1,100 CCTV cameras across a 45-km route and analysed over four lakh mobile-location records. The investigation led to the arrest of all five accused within 48 hours.

Police subsequently filed a nearly 6,000-page chargesheet within 17 days, incorporating witness statements, CCTV footage, medical evidence, FSL findings and DNA-related evidence.

During the trial, the prosecution examined 45 witnesses and presented documentary and scientific evidence.

The case has been described as a significant example of technology-assisted investigation, with police combining CCTV analysis, tower-dump data and forensic evidence to build the prosecution case.

The verdict has brought a major legal conclusion to a case that began on the second night of Navratri in 2024 and sparked widespread concern over women and children’s safety.