Two Men Sentenced for Rape of St. Cloud State Student in Dorm Room

(KNSI) – Two men have been sentenced for raping a St. Cloud State University student in her dorm room on November 1st, 2024.

Twenty-one-year-old Dipak Phayal of Fremont, California, was sentenced Monday to 12 years at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud. Phayal was convicted by a Stearns County jury in January of 1st degree criminal sexual conduct, aiding and abetting 1st degree criminal sexual conduct, and 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct.

Twenty-one-year-old Sujan Tamang of New York pleaded guilty in January to aiding and abetting 1st degree criminal sexual conduct. He was sentenced on March 4th to eight years in prison.

Both men will be on conditional release for 10 years after their confinement and must register as predatory offenders.

According to court records, between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m., the victim walked into the lobby, where two men she didn’t know were standing. They pushed her into her room, closed the door, and sexually assaulted her. Lab results linked DNA near a shoulder blade bruise to Tamang. Results from the rape exam found semen from Phayal.

University spokesman Zach Dwyer told KNSI News by email that the men were enrolled at St. Cloud State from late August to mid-December 2024 and did not return to the school.

Phayal was arrested in February of 2025 in Fremont, California, and extradited to Stearns County. Tamang turned himself in to the New York Police Department.

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