6 men kidnap, gang-rape 40-year-old woman near Chennai bypass road

CHENNAI: A 40-year-old woman was kidnapped and gang-raped by six men at Thelliyar Agaram off the Chennai bypass road (Tambaram-Maduravoyal expressway) on Sunday night.
The woman was returning home with a family friend when a man flagged down their car near Thelliyar Agaram around 11.30pm. As soon as they stopped, five other men turned up and assaulted the driver.
Police said the gang of six men threatened to murder the woman if she raised the alarm. They drove the car for a short distance and then threw the man out. They then drove to a deserted stretch and took turns raping the woman after stripping her of 15 sovereigns of gold jewellery.
The man who was thrown out of the car meanwhile managed to alert a passing police patrol. The police team rushed to the spot, and nabbed one of the rapists while the others fled. Based on what the man who was caught said, police managed to nab the other five in a short while. Police said all the accused were under the influence of alcohol and ganja.
Police identified the six arrested men as S Santhosh, 21, of Iyyappanthangal; S Surya Prakash, 21, A Dinesh, 28, both from Ayyapakkam; C Karuppaiah, 27, of Paraniputhur; S Ganesh, 19, of Alapakkam; and S Subash, 19, of Iyyappanthangal. Police also seized 13 sovereigns of gold jewellery from them.
They were booked for gang rape and dacoity and have been remanded in judicial custody. The woman was shifted to a private hospital for treatment. She is also being provided counselling to deal with the trauma, police said.
Police said the woman, her husband and their two children had gone to her native village for a temple festival. Her husband and children had returned home around 10 pm on their two-wheeler. The woman stayed back, saying she would return with their friend in his car. They had taken a shortcut off the bypass at Thelliyar Agaram to reach home faster.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)