Six men were sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for the gang rape and blackmail of more than 100 school and college girls in the early 1990s. A special POCSO court in Ajmer also imposed a fine of 500,000 rupees on each of the six convicts, identified as Nafees Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani and Sayed Zameer Hussain.
The crimes, which took place in 1992, involved the gang rape of young girls, followed by blackmail using their explicit photos. A total of 19 people were accused in the case, and nine have now been convicted. One accused died by suicide in 1994, and another remains at large.
According to reports, the accused would lure young girls, often between the ages of 11 and 20, and then kidnap and rape them. They would then blackmail the victims by threatening to release their explicit photos.
Following the revelation of this heinous crime, the then Rajasthan Chief Minister, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, ordered a CBI investigation. The case was initially suppressed due to alleged political interference and threats to the victims. However, under pressure, the police were forced to file a complaint.