Pollachi case may go to CBI, goondas act slapped on four accused

CHENNAI/COIMBATORE: As protests broke out across Tamil Nadu demanding action against the Pollachi sexual predators who targeted scores of women with impunity until a 19-year-old college girl finally mustered the courage to complain against them, the AIADMK government, accused by the opposition of shielding the culprits, is moving to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

A top official said, "The DGP has approached CBI and has begun the process of transferring the case to the central agency." Earlier in the day, police had detained under the goondas act the four men arrested for sexually assaulting the college student. The state police chief had also transferred the case to the CB-CID. Officers privy to the investigation said they were finding it difficult to get other women to come forward to file complaint. The four arrested are suspected to be part of a larger gang that preyed on students, working women and housewives in Pollachi since 2012 by befriending them on social media and then shooting videos of them and blackmailing them for sex and money.

Video of woman pleading uploaded online sparks widespread outrage

A magazine had uploaded on its website a video on Monday of a woman pleading with the predators not to harm her, which sparked widespread outrage. On Tuesday, DMK leader Kanimozhi courted arrest in Pollachi along with party workers and allies MDMK and VCK demanding action against the culprits. Actor Kamal Haasan’s MNM too staged protests demanding action against the accused.

The ruling AIADMK, meanwhile, filed cases saying it was being maligned. The deputy speaker of the state assembly Pollachi V Jayaraman and state minister S P Velumani filed complaints with the police that miscreants were spreading rumours that the arrested men were close to them.

The party had earlier sacked one of its party leaders in Pollachi, A Nagaraj, for anti-party activities. He had reportedly attacked the college girl’s brother for beating up the men who assaulted her. The college student had confided in her brother after she was assaulted. The main accused K Thirunavukkarasu, 26, had befriended her and asked her to meet him on February 12. He drove up in car with the other accused N Sabarirajan, 25, N Sathish, 29, and T Vasanthakumar. When she got in the car, Thirunavukkarasu tore up her clothing and the others filmed the assault. When she resisted they snatched her gold chain and pushed her out of the car.

The girl narrated the incident to her elder brother, who assaulted the four and recorded their statements and circulated it through social media. Thirunavukkarasu, who was admitted to the government hospital in Pollachi, demanded police take action against the girl’s brother. Preliminary investigation, however, revealed that the four were involved in a series of sexual harassment cases in Pollachi since 2012.

While other victims didn’t come forward to lodge complaint, the Pollachi police got a complaint from the college girl and booked the four under Sections 354(A) (sexual harassment), 354(B) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 66(E) of the IT Act and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act. They were subsequently arrested and lodged at the Coimbatore Central Prison.