1992 Ajmer sex scandal: Six more men sentenced to life imprisonment by POCSO court

In the sensational 1992 Ajmer sex scandal case, six more men were sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday by a POCSO court.

The case involves rape and blackmailing of more than 100 girls by a gang of 18 members.

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court judge Ranjan Singh also slapped fines of ₹5 lakh on each of the accused.

Nafees Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani and Sayed Zameer Hussain were convicted of being involved in the crime, prosecution counsel Virendra Singh said.

Iqbal Bhati was brought to Ajmer from Delhi in an ambulance.

There were a total of 18 accused in the case.

The first chargesheet in the case was filed against 12 accused, said the prosecution counsel.

The gang of accused persons used to victimise the school and college-going girls aged between 11 and 20 years after its members befriended the girls, shot their photographs in compromising situations, and later raped them.

The victims studied in a famous private school in Ajmer. They were called to a farmhouse, where they were raped.

The second chargesheet in the case was filed against Nafees Chishti, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani, Sayed Zameer Hussain, and Almas who is still at large, said Virendra Singh.

The lawyer also said that a separate trial for these six accused was conducted because the investigation against them was kept pending at the time of the filing of the first chargesheet.

Among the 12 accused, Jahur Chishti was found guilty under Section 377 (unnatural sex) and his case was transferred to another court.

Farooq Chishti’s trial ran separately after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and he was given a life term in 2007.

One of the accused committed suicide.

The other eight accused were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998.