[LoohornePharp]

May 18, 2010
3 get life for raping tourist

PATNA - AN INDIAN court handed down life sentences to three men for raping a Japanese tourist at a renowned Buddhist pilgrimage site in the eastern state of Bihar, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. The three were arrested by police after the 25-year-old victim identified them following her rape last month, state prosecutor Vimal Kishor Prasad told AFP. The court awarded the sentences on Monday. Police said they had seized the property of two other men alleged to have been involved. Every year thousands of pilgrims from around the world visit Bodhgaya, where the devout believe Lord Buddha attained enlightenment in about 500 BC. The site is one of four main Buddhist pilgrimage centres in the region and lies 110km from Bihar state capital Patna. -- AFP