Five men gang-rape woman in front of boyfriend in Kancheepuram, held

CHENNAI:  In a horrific incident, a 19-year-old college student was allegedly gang-raped by five masked men at knife-point in front of her boyfriend in Kancheepuram on Thursday evening. All five accused - Manikandan (22), Vimal Kumar (25), Sivakumar (20), Vignesh (22) and Thennarasu (23) - have been arrested.

According to the police, the girl and her 20-year-old boyfriend are pursuing BBA and B Com respectively at a private college in the Kancheepuram district. They often went on drives to the outskirts of the town. Since this place is two km away from the Bengaluru - Puducherry Outer Ring Road, there are no street lights, added the police.

The place is located near a private school and an empty real estate plot. “They have visited the place before and have not faced any issues. On Thursday evening, two of the accused were boozing near the plot and on seeing them called on three other friends,” said DSP P Julius Caesar.

While three of them attacked and restrained the boyfriend, two others held the woman at knife-point. “The accused told the woman to cooperate, failing which they would murder and bury them. The men then took the survivor to a nearby spot and raped her,” said the police. The incident happened between 6 pm and 7 pm, said the police. 

After the accused left, the youth informed his uncle, who lives nearby, and they rushed the girl to a hospital. Based on the complaint from the survivor’s father, Kanchi Taluk police booked the accused under several sections of the IPC and Women Harassment Act.

Police sources said the couple were not able to identify the accused clearly as the place had no light and they had worn masks. However, the police arrested Manikandan and Vimal based on the information provided by the survivor and CCTV footage. Sivakumar, Vignesh and Thennarasu were arrested later. The five men are yet to be remanded. Further investigation is on.