Indian Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Rape and Fraud of European Woman in Marriage Scam

The court determined the defendant's guilt on September 22 and delivered the sentence two days later.

Mathura:

A specialized fast-track court has sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting and defrauding a European woman of 1 lakh euros by falsely promising marriage, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The court additionally sentenced his mother to five years in prison for facilitating the crime and imposed substantial fines of Rs 7.90 lakh and Rs 5.90 lakh on the son and mother, respectively.

Assistant District Government Counsel (ADGC) Subhash Chaturvedi reported that Additional District and Sessions Judge Sushil Kumar of the Fast-Track Court for Crimes Against Women announced the verdict on Monday.

According to prosecutors, the victim filed a complaint in 2018 with Mathura's Senior Superintendent of Police, claiming that Govind Nagar resident Harendra Kumar, along with his parents Vikram Singh and Leela Devi (also known as Neelam), his wife Mamta Raghav, and friend Sarabjit Mangu Singh, had deceived and exploited her.

During legal proceedings, cases against Vikram Singh and Mamta Raghav were handled separately due to their failure to appear before the court.

The case against Harendra Kumar and his mother was subsequently transferred to the fast-track court.

The judge found both accused guilty on September 22 and announced their sentences on Monday.

The court also revoked Leela Devi's previously granted bail and ordered her immediate surrender.

The victim's complaint stated that she had traveled to Mathura from Holland in 2009 with her foster brother Sarabjit Mangu Singh for spiritual purposes.

She subsequently met Harendra Kumar, who misrepresented himself as unmarried and proposed marriage.

He reportedly deceived her by conducting a symbolic wedding ceremony at his residence and, over time, fraudulently obtained nearly 1 lakh Euros from her through various cash and ATM transactions, presenting her with falsified investment documents.

Investigators later discovered that Harendra was already married and that his family members actively participated in his fraudulent scheme, according to the prosecution.