London: An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to 34 years in prison by a court in the UK for kidnapping, torturing and raping a 24-year-old woman in a case described by investigators as involving “unimaginable” brutality.
Gagandeep Singh (34), was handed the sentence on Friday after being found guilty of two counts of rape, kidnap, false imprisonment and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, as reported by The Indian Express.
The sentence includes 28 years in custody followed by a six-year extended licence period, with Singh required to serve a minimum of 18 years before he can be considered for parole.
The survivor became suspicious in June 2024 after being asked to carry a suitcase containing unknown items from Thailand to the UK. After she refused, she was abducted upon arriving at Birmingham Airport, as per evidence presented during the trial.
Masked men forced her into a car and drove her to a house in Hanwell, west London, where Singh raped her on two occasions and subjected her to more than a day of torture, t
he court was told.
The woman was “punched in the face, beaten, stripped, whipped, burnt and raped” before eventually being released. Her captors threatened her and warned her not to tell anyone about the ordeal, the prosecution established before the Court.
“The brutality of what the victim in this case faced is unimaginable,” detective constable Seetara Abdul of the Metropolitan Police’s North West Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, who led the investigation, said.
The survivor was deeply traumatised and initially reluctant to disclose the full extent of the abuse, the police said.
“Threats were made to try and silence her, but the support of her mum and the diligent care shown by the officers investigating her case meant we were able to apprehend and charge an extremely dangerous individual,” Seetara said.
The survivor said she had initially been afraid to contact authorities, in a statement released through the Metropolitan Police.
“I never wanted to contact the police. It felt daunting. I was left thinking that if I did, I could be putting myself and the people around me in danger,” she said.
“It was my mum who never gave up. She believed going to the police was the right thing to do. She kept my clothes as evidence and saved all of my doctor’s notes. She said she couldn’t rest knowing they could be doing this to other people,” the woman said.
Shortly after her release from the abductors, the woman confided in her mother, who filed an initial third-party report, the police said. The clothing the victim had been wearing at the time of the kidnapping was submitted for forensic examination, helping investigators identify and arrest Singh.