Kochi: Four persons were today awarded life imprisonment for the remainder of their natural life by a court here for alleged gangrape of a woman from Tamil Nadu in Kalamassery in February last year.

“The accused 1 to 4 are sentenced to undergo, rigorous imprisonment for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of their natural life,” Additional District and Sessions judge K T Nissar Ahammed ordered in his judgement.

He also imposed a fine of Rs 55,000 each on Athul (22), Niyaz (28), Manoj (21) and Anish (28).

The court also awarded three year rigorous imprisonment each to a couple — K V Bineesh and his wife Jasmine — for harbouring the offenders and assisting them to conceal the stolen items of the victim.

According to the prosecution, the accused had taken the woman to a secluded area on the HMT Kalamassery campus and gangraped and robbed her of her valuables, including jewellery.

The woman was picked up along with another 55-year-old woman from their residence by Athul and Aneesh under the pretext of offering them grass cutting job. Later, they were joined by other accused.

When they reached an isolated location in the HMT campus, they tied the elderly woman and gangraped the 37-year-old.