A 40-year-old woman who fell asleep in the suburban train was allegedly raped by two railway contract staffers in the Tambaram railway yard in the zero hours of Saturday. The suspects were nabbed when they returned to duty as usual, based on the victim's complaint. 

The victim from Paranur near Chengalpattu is said to be a vendor who sells perishables in the train for a livelihood. On Friday night, she boarded a train to Paranur from Pallavaram railway station. While the woman, who was allegedly inebriated, fell asleep near Guduvanchery, the train reached Chengalpattu and returned to Tambaram railway station before being taken to the yard, which is at least a kilometre away from the station, for maintenance work. 

Around 12.30 am on Saturday, the contract staffers — Suresh (31) of Madambakkam and Abdul Ajiz (30) — spotted her asleep in the passenger and tried to misbehave. 

The woman who woke up with a shock tried to resist the duo, but in vain since they overpowered her and sexually assaulted her before letting her off after nearly an hour. 

The duo allegedly threatened the woman not to tell anyone about the incident claiming that they can put her behind the bars accusing her of stealing railway property. They also reportedly threatened her that she can no longer sell anything in the train. 

The woman who walked all the way back to the station approached the railway police and explained the ordeal she had to go through. 

Railway police immediately rushed to the yard with the victim and began investigation. They pinned Suresh and Abdul Ajiz as accused and secured them when they returned to duty later during the day pretending that nothing had happened. 

They were booked booked under rape charges and remanded in judicial custody. A police official told DT Next that the woman is safe and is back home after a medical examination.