Coimbatore HORROR: Out with friend, college student abducted from parked car, gang-raped near Coimbatore airport; 3 arrested after late-night chase
The student was inside a car with a male friend at the time of the attack. The three accused broke the window, hit the friend and took the survivor to an undisclosed location where they allegedly raped her.
A 20-year-old postgraduate student in Coimbatore was abducted and gang-raped by three men on Sunday. According to reports, she was in a parked car with her boyfriend at Brindhavan Nagar behind Coimbatore airport around 10.30pm on Sunday when three men came there on a moped bike, attacked the couple and took the woman away before fleeing the scene. “They broke the windshield of the car and attacked the boyfriend with weapons.”
Police said the men forced the woman onto their vehicle and took her to an isolated area where they raped her. The survivor’s friend, who was injured in the attack, alerted Peelamedu police around 11 p.m. A search operation was launched, and officers located the woman around 4 a.m. The suspects had escaped by then, leaving behind a stolen moped at the scene. Police said the cameras failed to capture their faces due to the glare.
Later on Monday night, police shot at and arrested the three suspects – Sathish, Guna, and Karthik – all from Madurai district. The police had to shoot the three accused in the legs as they tried to flee. They were daily wage labourers and were staying in a rental room in Coimbatore. The three were admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.
“The accused were trying to escape from the spot when the police had to shoot them in the leg in Vellakinaru, on the outskirts of Coimbatore city. The injured accused are Guna, Karuppasamy, and Karthik alias Kaleeswaran. All the accused have been sent to GH Coimbatore. A head constable was also injured in the encounter,” Sundar told ANI.
The rape survivor hails from Madurai and was studying in Coimbatore, where she was staying in a hostel. Police showed more than 60 photographs of people with criminal records, to identify the suspects. “She couldn’t recognize the attackers,” the officer said.
The incident has triggered a political confrontation in Tamil Nadu between the BJP and the ruling DMK.
After reports of the assault surfaced, BJP state president K. Annamalai criticised the state’s law and order situation, alleging a rise in crimes against women and children.
In a post on X, Annamalai said that since the DMK came to power, “anti-social elements no longer fear the law or the police.” He accused the government and some officials of protecting offenders instead of ensuring justice, claiming the Stalin administration has failed to prevent sexual crimes and safeguard women’s safety.
What's Your Reaction?
