Court convicts Pratibha Murthy rapist-killer

Bangalore : A fast track court in Karnataka convicted a cab driver for raping and murdering call centre employee Pratibha Murthy in 2005, even as the mother of the victim demanded death sentence for the convict.

The crime had shocked the country and prompted the BPO sector to formulate safety guidelines.

The quantum of punishment would be announced on Oct 8.

The judge has said all charges of rape and murder were proved against Shivakumar, the driver of a car of the call centre where the victim worked, and he was held guilty.

Pratibha Srikantha Murthy, a call centre employee, was raped and murdered on the night of Dec 13, 2005, allegedly by her office car driver Shivakumar.

The girl was killed after being raped allegedly by the accused who had picked her up on the fateful night when the regular driver failed to turn up.

The parents of the victims are fighting the case to bring the accused to justice.

The sobbing mother of the victim demanded death sentence of the convict.

“He should be hanged. For me nobody is there. I have to suffer till my death. The judgement should be a lesson to others so that they do not commit such a crime,” said Gowramma, the mother of the victim.

“I will fight till end,” she said.

Reacting to the case, IT firm Infosys’ HR director Mohandas Pai told a TV channel that the punishment should be severe.