Prathiba case: Driver convicted
Shiv Kumar will be sentenced on October 8.
The prosecution's case had hinged on how Kumar conned the 28-year-old Pratibha into travelling in his cab around 1.50 am on December 3, 2005, and took her to a deserted place in Anjanapura, where he raped and murdered her. Her body was found three days later.
The police arrested Kumar based on the statement provided by Jagdish, the driver who was supposed to pick Pratibha from her residence in Kumaraswamy Layout that night. There were calls on Pratibha's mobile too from Shiv Kumar which suggested foul play.
The accused made his victim believe that he was to ferry her to work at HP GlobalSoft, since the regular driver was on leave.
After the arrest, Kumar reportedly told the police that he committed the crime since he had been sexually frustrated ever since his wife's pregnancy. He later retracted the statement in the court.
The murder of Pratibha shocked IT firms across the country, forcing companies to adopt stringent security measures for their women employees. Ever since the incident, security guards have been assigned to vehicles ferrying staff working night shifts.
Prathiba case: Driver convicted
Ever since her daughter's murder in December 2005, Prathibha's mother, Gowramma has been fighting a lone battle. She has attended every court hearing. She hopes the court will hand the guilty man a death sentence.
It was Pratibha's mother Gowramma, who lost her only daughter, who waged a relentless battle for justice. Initially, Pratibha's company and her husband showed some interest, but later they did not attend the hearing.
"I continue to suffer. I attend every hearing. Loneliness haunts me now," she told the media. She also said she will have to suffer till her death.
Over 80 witnesses were examined in the case in which BPO employee Pratibha Srikanthamurthy was allegedly raped and murdered by the cab driver in December 2005.
The case took four years despite being tried by a fast track court.
The murder of the newly wed Pratibha was a major talking point in Bangalore where BPO employees began to fear for their lives.
Pratibha's husband had testified on how his wife had a call from the company on a change of driver. Later it truned out that it was Shiva Kumar who had made the call.
S Srinivas, Pratibha's uncle, was also instrumental in supporting Gowramma. He too expressed his disgust over the company not taking any interest in the case. "The company, the cab company and others -- should be taken to task. There should be a message of heavy punishment," he told the media.
Source: India Syndicate and Agencies