Meerut, Dec. 20 -- A fast-track court in Sambhal sentenced four men to life imprisonment for gang raping a 25-year-old woman and burning her alive on a temple premises. The verdict came more than seven years after the gruesome crime was committed in July 2018. Special judge/additional district and sessions judge Awadhesh Kumar Singh held Aram Singh, Bhona alias Kunwarpal, Gullu alias Jaiveer and Mahavir guilty of the crime. Since one of the accused in the case was a minor at the time of the crime, he is facing a separate trial as per the juvenile justice system. Assistant district government counsel (ADGC) Hariom Prakash said each of the convicts was slapped with a fine of Rs.1,07,000, 50% of which will be given as compensation to the victim's family and the remaining will be deposited in the government treasury. The convicts, who were brought to court from the Moradabad district jail, maintained their innocence after the sentencing, claiming they had been falsely implicated. The victim's cousin said the family had demanded capital punishment for all the accused. "The court has awarded life imprisonment. We are satisfied with the verdict, but we will discuss as a family whether to approach the high court," he said. The family said justice had been partly served. According to the prosecution, the incident occurred in a village under the Rajpura police station area of Gunnaur tehsil in Sambhal. On the night of July 13, 2018, the woman was alone at home with her two children, as her husband had gone to Delhi for work. Around 2:30 am, the accused barged into her house and gang raped her in front of her seven-year-old daughter. When she regained her senses, the woman attempted to contact her husband and later Dial 100, but failed. She then called her cousin and narrated the incident. Before help could arrive, the accused returned, abducted her, and took her to a nearby temple, where they set her on fire alive. Relatives noticed her burning when they reached the house. The news spread, drawing large crowds. Police officials, citing the postmortem report, had then confirmed that the woman died because of the burn injuries. According to the ADGC, the forensic team recovered crucial evidence, including the woman's mobile phone and clothes from her house. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of semen on the clothes, followed by DNA analysis. Based on call records, police arrested the accused. However, the investigation initially faced controversy amid allegations of laxity in the case by local police officials. Later, then superintendent of police Radhe Mohan Bhardwaj (now retired), the Rajpura station in-charge and the staff of a police outpost were suspended. The victim's daughter and her cousin testified in the fast-track trial, playing a pivotal role in securing convictions....