Investigators had told a local court that the five accused, who had claimed they had gone out on the night of October 4 merely to “watch garbas”, may have stepped out together with the intention of committing a crime. (Special arrangement photo)A Special POCSO court in Vadodara on Thursday (August 20) convicted five men in connection with the gangrape of a 16-year-old girl during Navratri festivities in October 2024, bringing the trial to a close less than two years after the crime triggered widespread public outrage.On Thursday, District Government Pleader (DGP) Anil Desai told The Indian Express that a special team of prosecutors including Nayan Sukhadwala from Surat and Senior Advocate Shailesh Patel from Vadodara had successfully proven the police case.Desai said, “We were successful in establishing the police case beyond doubt. The scientific evidence gathered by the police with the help of forensic experts, including samples of body fluids of the accused on the victim’s [garba] outfit, played a crucial role in securing the conviction. Right from the chargesheet to the end of the trial, the case had been watertight.”The incident had occurred on the second day of Navratri on October 4, 2024, and police had filed a 6,000-page chargesheet within a fortnight.The court will hear arguments for the quantum of sentence on August 25, Desai said.Senior Advocate Patel said the incident involved “unknown men”, and the spot of the crime was secluded, with no CCTV cover.“It was not an easy investigation; the police were left in a blind spot. However, the district police as well as the Crime Branch gathered vital clues using their best resources. After tracking down the accused, we were able to present 315 documentary and material pieces of evidence, which clinched the case,” Patel said.Story continues below this adSukhadwala, who has handled several high-profile criminal cases in Surat, said the evidence in support of the circumstantial evidence was a vital link to establish the sequence of events.“The accused had taken away the mobile phone of the victim and disposed of it in the crocodile-infested Vishwamitri river. But the police, along with the Fire team spent significant time searching for the device. The court has accepted the deposition of the police, the Fire officials, and the doctors who examined the victim,” he said.The case had drawn intense attention in its immediate aftermath. Investigators had told a local court that the five accused, who had claimed they had gone out on the night of October 4 merely to “watch garbas”, may have stepped out together with the intention of committing a crime.Following a reconstruction of the crime scene, Vadodara Rural Police had told the court that investigators had found no garba venues along the route taken by the accused that night.Story continues below this ad“It cannot be ruled out that the accused had stepped out together with the intention of committing a crime,” police had stated in their remand application, adding that the manner in which the offence was allegedly committed warranted an inquiry into whether the men may have been involved in similar crimes in the past.The five men were arrested in the days following the incident and were initially remanded in police custody. Investigators later sought an extension, telling the court that the accused had remained uncooperative and had attempted to mislead the investigation.A substantial part of the initial remand period, police had said, was spent completing medical procedures, including the collection of semen samples from the accused.Investigators were also pursuing the recovery of the survivor’s mobile phone, which the accused allegedly claimed had been thrown into the Vishwamitri river near Vadsar.Story continues below this adPolice had sought the assistance of the Vadodara Fire Department to search for the phone, while also telling the court that the accused could have been misleading investigators about its disposal and were shifting responsibility among themselves.The remand proceedings were marked by high public anger. After the accused were allegedly manhandled by a group of lawyers during a court production, a subsequent hearing was shifted to a courtroom designated for vulnerable witnesses as a precaution to maintain law and order.Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... 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