A District Additional sessions court in Kottayam on Thursday found Suresh, the prime accused in the Vithura sex racket case, as guilty in one of the 24 cases registered against him in connection with the rape and sale of the victim for sex work.
The quantum of sentence to the accused is slated to be pronounced on Friday. Suresh, a native of Kadakkal in Kollam, was accused of raping the victim and forcing her into sex trade after keeping her in illegal custody for days.
The special court considering the case had earlier declared him a fugitive. Though the case was registered in 1996, he landed in custody of the investigators only 18 years later.
Suresh, who had surrendered before a court in 2014, once again went into hiding after being granted bail. He was taken back into custody of a Crime Branch team from Hyderabad five years later.
The prosecution case pertained to the incident that took place in October 1995. The incident came to light in July 1996 when the victim landed in police custody along with one of the accused.
