Horror as woman gang raped and murdered before killers steal her gold ear rings

Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the gang rape and murder of a 21-year-old woman before stealing her gold earrings in a case that shocked the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. A court in Ongole on Monday convicted Devarakonda Vijay, 26, and Karanki Mahesh Babu, 24, of gang rape and murder over the attack in Bapatla district in June 2024. Each was also fined 20,000 rupees (£170).

A third man, Devarakonda Srikanth, 24, was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 2,000 rupees (£15) after being found guilty of harbouring the offenders. The court also ordered the government to pay compensation of one million rupees (about £8,500) to the victim’s family under a state victim compensation scheme.

According to police, the woman had left her home in Eepurupalem village on the morning of June 21, 2024, when she was allegedly dragged into bushes near railway tracks behind a girls’ high school.

Investigators said the two men sexually assaulted her before murdering her and stealing the gold earrings she was wearing.

The victim’s mother reported her missing and police launched an investigation.

The suspects were arrested the following day and officers later filed a chargesheet within the required timeframe.

A court found the two men guilty under provisions of India’s Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita covering gang rape and murder, reported The Hindu.

A police spokesman said the verdict demonstrated the force’s commitment to securing swift justice in crimes against women and children through its “Operation Dandayan” initiative.

The case comes amid continuing concern over violence against women in India, where several high-profile rape and murder cases in recent years have sparked national outrage and protests.

Among the most prominent were the 2012 gang rape and murder of a student in Delhi and the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata in 2024, both of which prompted widespread calls for stronger protections for women.