Case of rape of a young woman with COVID-19 in an ambulance; Accused sentenced to life imprisonment

The accused has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the case of molesting a young woman who was a Covid patient in an ambulance in Pathanamthitta. The Pathanamthitta court sentenced Naufil, a native of Kayamkulam, to life imprisonment. In addition to the life imprisonment sentence, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 1,08,000. The Pathanamthitta Principal Sessions Court had found the accused guilty in the case.

The court had found the accused guilty under sections 366, 376, 354, 323 of the IPC and section 5A of the SC and ST Act. Naufil, a resident of Panakkachira house in Keerikad South, Kayamkulam, was the driver of the ‘108’ ambulance, which is part of the ‘Kanivu’ project of the Health Department. He is also an accused in an attempt to murder case earlier.

The young woman was raped in Aranmula on September 5, 2020. The attack took place while she was being taken from Adoor to a hospital in Pandalam. The accused was deliberately trying to harass the girl. The girl was 19 years old at the time of the attack. The route was changed and the girl was raped at an empty ground in Aranmula.

The girl, who was incapacitated due to Covid, was in a critical condition following the rape. The girl filed a complaint with the police after collecting the evidence required for the case through her mobile phone. The High Court, which took notice of the news, also intervened in the matter. Sections such as rape and Scheduled Caste atrocities have been charged against the accused. This is also the first case in the country in which the High Court has ordered the complete video recording of the witness examination under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act.