Three days after the arrest of a group of teenagers for sexual assault on three minors at Pollachi, the Coimbatore police arrested six college students and a tea stall worker for alleged sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl.
The arrested have been identified as S. Jebin, K. Rakshith and M. Yadava Raj of Krishnagiri, K. Abineswaran of West Thambaram, V. Deepak of Pudukottai, S. Muthu Nagaraj of Virudhunagar and S. Nithish of Dindigul. The police said that except Muthu Nagaraj, who worked in a tea stall, all others had been doing their undergraduate degree courses in private colleges in the city. Aged between 19 and 21, they stayed in a rented house near the city.
Police investigation revealed that the girl, who had discontinued studies, had been in contact with some of the accused through a messaging platform. According to the police, the boys allegedly picked the girl from her grandmother’s house Saturday (February 15) night when the elderly woman was asleep, and assaulted her at their home.
“The girl’s father attempted to reach her over mobile phone, but when she did not answer her phone, he went to the grandmother’s house and realised his daughter was not there. He immediately alerted the police,” said a police officer.
The girl reportedly contacted the family later and returned to her house on Sunday (February 16) morning. After coming to know about her ordeal, the family took her to the police and lodged a complaint. The police launched a hunt for the seven accused and arrested them by Sunday night. They were produced before a court and were remanded in judicial custody on Monday.
City Police Commissioner A. Saravana Sundar said all the accused in the case have been arrested.
Political parties react
Opposition and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and BJP Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai criticised the government. “It is deeply distressing that Tamil Nadu, under the Stalin-model DMK regime, is becoming an unsafe state for girls. Why does the Chief Minister, who says, ‘We have arrested after the crime was committed,’ refuses to say what he did to prevent the crime? Isn’t this student like a daughter to someone who calls himself ‘father’? Who is responsible for her safety?”, Mr. Palaniswami posted on X.
Mr. Annamalai posted on X that such gang-rapes on girls show that the youth were turning to animalistic mentality due to the increasing drug abuse.
“The entire country was shaken by one Nirbhaya (case). But women, including girls, students, female police officers, and female government officials, are completely unsafe in Tamil Nadu every day” said Mr. Annamalai, adding that the DMK government has not moved an inch to prevent drug trafficking or ensure the safety of women.
Published - February 19, 2025 01:01 am IST
