Death sentence stayed for convict in 2016 rape and murder case
Key Points:
• Jharkhand High Court rejects bail plea of Rahul Raj, convicted rapist-murderer
• Court stays death sentence pronounced by Ranchi CBI Special Court
• Crime occurred on December 16, 2016; conviction in December 2019
RANCHI – The Jharkhand High Court has denied bail to Rahul Raj, convicted in the 2016 rape and murder of an engineering student in Ranchi.
A division bench comprising Justice Ananda Sen and Justice Gautam Kumar Chaudhary rejected Raj’s appeal.
However, the court stayed the death sentence previously imposed by the Ranchi CBI Special Court.
The horrific crime took place on December 16, 2016, shocking the community.
Rahul Raj was convicted by the Ranchi Special CBI Court on December 20, 2019.
Subsequently, he was sentenced to death in December 2021 for the heinous act.
On the day of the crime, Raj stalked the victim throughout the day.
Around 4 a.m., he forcibly entered the engineering student’s house.
The convict strangled the victim until she lost consciousness before raping her.
Afterward, Raj used an iron wire to strangle the victim to death.
CBI investigators questioned over 300 people during the course of their inquiry.
Raj was eventually apprehended based on mobile call dump analysis.
Further investigation revealed that Raj was a resident of Nalanda.
DNA tests conclusively linked Raj to the crime scene evidence.
Samples from Raj’s parents matched the victim’s swabs and nail fragments.
This forensic evidence played a crucial role in securing the conviction.
The CBI Special Court based its death sentence on the overwhelming evidence presented.
