Coimbatore: Commissioner Saravana Sundar stated on Tuesday that three males had been taken into custody by the Coimbatore Police on suspicion of gang-raping a 20-year-old college student in a city suburb. During an encounter, the accused—who were named as Guna, Karuppasamy, and Karthik alias Kaleeswaran—were shot in the leg as they attempted to flee. After that, they were brought to the Coimbatore Government Hospital to receive medical care. A head constable was also hurt in the altercation, the police said.
The girl and her friend were attacked by the three attackers near the Coimbatore International Airport on Sunday night. After allegedly abducting the student and sexually abusing her, the males allegedly left her behind. A rescue operation resulted after the victim’s buddy regained consciousness and informed the authorities. Police say the three came in a car and attacked her companion on Sunday night when the pair was out and about. The men allegedly threatened and abducted her after the attack.
Vanathi Srinivasan, the national president of the BJP Mahila Morcha, visited the scene of the incident and criticised the police for calling the location “remote.” She urged improved safety and protection measures from the government, claiming that the location has been a centre for antisocial behaviour. The scene of yesterday’s incident is where we are standing. She was transferred to a nearby location when the car window smashed. People may easily visit this place, and residential colonies are close by, thus it’s not an isolated location. It is actually a part of the city, despite the police’s claims that it was a very distant region,” she told ANI.
“Unfortunately, anti-social activities are taking place here, and it is the duty of the local government and police to provide appropriate safety and protection,” she continued. Aadhav Arjuna, the general secretary of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, too denounced the event and expressed astonishment and indignation over the alleged gang rape. He urged action against the offenders and underlined the need for safer public areas for women.
“The news that a college student in Coimbatore has been the victim of gang rape and violence has caused immense shock,” he wrote in a post on X. Last Sunday evening, a college student in Coimbatore was chatting with a friend beside the Coimbatore airport. Three drunken people who had just come there brutally attacked the student’s buddy who was sitting in a car and kidnapped her. The TVK leader claims that once her friend recovered consciousness and informed the authorities, Peelamedu police station officials rescued the girl. They then committed acts of violence and gang rape in the same vicinity. The male friend eventually recovered consciousness and used his cell phone to call the Peelamedu police station. The student was saved and taken to the hospital by the responding police, he continued. He claimed that the episode was another evidence of Tamil Nadu’s current dangerous state, which prevents women from moving freely in public areas.
