Two sentenced to 5 yrs RI for attempting to kidnap an US girl

Aurangabad, May 3 (UNI) A local court here today sentenced two persons to five years rigorous imprisonment holding them guilty of kidnapping a 17-year-old American girl from the city's busy Garkheda locality on February 4 this year.

The court also sentenced Dhanraj alias Dhananjay Kulkarni, one of the two convicted, to an additional year's rigorous imprisonment for outraging the modesty of the girl. The court has also slapped a fine of Rs 1,000 each on the duo.

According to the prosecution case, the girl had come to the city from United States on a Rotary Club students' exchange programme.

The two accused -- Anil Chotumal and Dhananjay Kulkarni, had dragged the girl into an autorickshaw when she went out for a walk on the afternoon of February 4, 2006.

However, a tea stall vendor, a woman, raised an alarm when she saw the girl being whisked away by the accused. Following this, the attempt of the two accused to take away the girl with them was foiled and both of them were subsequently arrested and booked under Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code. Dhananjay Kulkarni was also booked under Section 354 for outraging the modesty of the girl.

The girl had identified both the accused during an identification parade held on February 13.

UNI MPJ MAZ VD ND2110