Coimbatore rape accused were drunk before assault, two of them were brothers
Police nabbed the three accused, two of them are brothers and the third is their relative, from their hiding spot in Vellakinaru late on Monday.
The three men who were arrested for the sexual assault of a college student near Coimbatore airport in Tamil Nadu had robbed a two-wheeler and consumed alcohol before committing the crime.
Coimbatore City Police Commissioner Saravana Sundar confirmed the arrest of the three accused, identified as Satish alias Karuppsamy, his brother Karthi alias Kalishewaran, and their relative Guna alias Thavasi. They were reportedly nabbed late on Monday when the accused tried to attack the police team that was in search of them, Sundar was cited as saying by news agency PTI.
Following the arrest, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin ordered the police to file a chargesheet within a month and get them the maximum punishment as soon as possible. He termed the sexual assault of the college student as "inhumane", adding that no harsh words would be enough to condemn such "heinous crimes".
Robbed a two-wheeler, drunk
Satish (30), Karthi (21), and Guna (20) were labourers working in a lathe unit. According to a preliminary probe, the trio were passing by the airport after robbing a two-wheeler and having some alcoholic drinks, and that's when they noticed the woman and her friend inside a car, and they sexually assaulted the student, the PTI report said.
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The investigation further revealed that the accused were named in pending criminal cases, including murder and theft. The trio were attending court in connection with a murder case.
Police also filed a gang rape case against the three accused, the Commissioner added.
What happened on Sunday?
The college student was inside a car with her male friend when the three accused spotted them. They approached the car and broke its windows with stones.
The accused inflicted cut injuries on the friend, resulting in him falling unconscious. The male friend was attacked with a sickle, an NDTV report said.
The trio then dragged the woman to a deserted place without any lighting and sexually assaulted her.
"On the night of November 2, the three robbed a two-wheeler and were travelling on the mud road near the airport when they noticed the student and her friend talking in the car," the Commissioner said.
After her friend regained consciousness, he made a call to the police control room at around 11:20 pm, following which a team arrived at the spot. The woman was taken to a hospital after she emerged from the spot of the crime, Commissioner Sundar said, PTI reported.
He further stated that the survivor was out of danger and was being provided with psychological counselling.
How were the accused nabbed
City Police Commissioner A Saravana Sundar said that investigators examined about 300 CCTV footage and corroborated them with inputs received from the people.
Officials identified the suspects' exit route and identified them. Police tracked the three at their hiding spot in Vellakinaru at around 10:40 pm on Monday.
When a police team reached the spot to nab the accused, they attacked the officers, forcing them to use minimum force to overpower the accused. Police opened fire on the trio below the knees.
The Commissioner said that a police constable was also injured when the trio attacked the team.
One of the accused sustained a gunshot in one leg, while the other two were injured in both legs when police opened fire, an official was cited by the news agency.
All of the accused are admitted to a government facility for treatment, along with the injured constable.
