Jharkhand: Missionary school head, 5 others convicted in gangrape case

A local court in Jharkhand's Khunti convicted a missionary school head and five others in connection with the gangrape of five tribal women last year on Tuesday. Additional District Judge Rajesh Kumar found the six them guilty and will pronounce the quantum of sentence on May 15, Public Prosecutor Sushil Kumar Jaiswal said.

Father Alfonso Aind, who was on bail from March 14, was taken into custody immediately after the court convicted him, he said.

Aind was arrested after the gang-rape on June 19 last year as the police had registered an FIR against him for aiding and abetting the crime. He was charged with not stopping the guilty and not informing the police.

A separate FIR was filed against the other five persons in connection with the rape and they were arrested.

The victims were part of a troupe that visited a school in Kochang in Khunti district to enact a play on anti-human trafficking and migration when the five persons took them forcibly to a nearby forest and raped them at gunpoint.