Seventeen police officers could face the death penalty after being convicted of kidnapping and killing a 22-year-old jobseeker in custody in India.

Prosecutors say Ranbir Singh had gone to the northern Indian city of Dehradun looking for a job when he was arrested by police for allegedly committing a robbery.

Kanchan Prasad, a spokeswoman for India's federal investigating agency, said the New Delhi court will announce their sentences on Monday.

They could be sentenced to death or to life in prison.

The conviction of 17 police officers in a single case is believed to be unprecedented in India.

Rights groups often accuse Indian security forces of torturing and killing people in custody to force them to confess.

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