Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), Dec 18

In less than six months of the gangrape of a 30-year-old US national in Manali, a court here sentenced three Nepalese youths to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for the crime, an official said Wednesday.

District and Session Judge Purender Vaidya Tuesday sentenced Arjun, Lucky and Som Bahadur Tamang and imposed on them a fine of Rs.10,000 each. In case of default on payment, they will have to further undergo a two-year jail term, an investigating officer told IANS.

Police filed a chargesheet against the accused, all drivers of Nepali nationality, within a week of the gangrape June 4.

The woman who reached Manali, some 500 km from the national capital Delhi, with three other women a day before the crime, alleged that she was repeatedly raped by the three men who offered her a lift in a vehicle early June 4 when she could not find a taxi on the outskirts of Manali.

Police said the men drove the woman to a secluded spot to rape and rob her.

The accused have been convicted with rape, abduction and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The picturesque Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh is known for attracting backpackers, especially from the US, Britain, Italy, France and Germany.

By;IANS