While the Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has assured justice into a gangrape case in Virudhunagar involving two DMK leaders, another gang-rape case from last week in the state has come to the light now. Reportedly, in a case with similarity to Nirbhaya rape case in Delhi, a woman was gangraped in Vellore on 16th March after she along with her male friend was offered lift in an autorickshaw.
The case has started to appear in media after four accused in the case were arrested on Tuesday. The woman was gangraped by five people, including two juvenile, and one accused is still absconding.
According to Zee News journalist Aadhiraa Anand, the matter came to light after the police had detained two persons involved in a street fight on 19th March. While they were fighting over sharing of stolen items, they admited during the interrogation that they had gangraped a woman on 16th March, and they were fighting over distribution of money and goods they had robbed from the victim.
Nirbhaya of TN : Misses to get enough Attention.
— Aathiraa Anand (@AnandAathiraa) March 23, 2022
Two persons picked up fight on Monday night in streets. Cops took them to police station for Enquiry. The statement they made shook the cops. Initially they were fighting for distribution of stolen items.
The cops were surprised as they had not received any complaint of rape. But later it was found that the victim had indeed filed a complaint by sending an email to the Vellore SP office, without stating her name. After the two men admited to the crime, the cops joined the dots and found out details about the case.
The police said that on 16th, the woman who works in a private hospital and her male boyfriend were returning to the hospital at after watching the night show of a movie. An auto-rickshaw with five men, including the driver, approached them and offered them a ride saying it is a share auto. Although initially hesitant, they boarded the vehicle.
But after some distance, the auto diverted from the course, the couple realized something is wrong and started shouting. But the five men overpowered them, and took them to a secluded place. There, the men in the auto gangraped the woman at knife point.
After the deed, the culprits also took away their mobile phones, and gold jewelry of two sovereigns. They also took the man to an nearby ATM and forced him to withdraw Rs 40,000, which they took away along with the other loots.
The two men caught by cops on 19th were fighting over distribution of the Rs 40,000 they had robbed from the couple, and it the interrogation process they had mentioned “rape”. On further questioning, the two revealed the entire crime to the police.
Based on the confessions of two men in custody, the cops contacted the bank from which the accused had robbed the money. After the accounting holder was contacted, he revealed that he was robbed and his friend was gangraped. After, the police spoke to the victim and convinced her to lodge a formal complaint.
After the complaint was filed on 22nd March, the police registered a case, and formed a special team to probe the case. The police have arrested two more persons, and a hunt is on for the fifth accused. Among the four arrested, two are named Santhosh and Manikandan, while the other two are minors and have been sent to juvenile home. The victim woman is from Bihar while her friend is from Nagpur, and both of them work in the same hospital.
The case has been registered at the Vellore North Police station under IPC sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 368 (wrongfully concealing or keeping in confinement, kidnapped or abducted person), 376 (D) (gang rape), 376 (E) (punishment for repeat offenders), 395 (punishment for dacoity), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 506 (ii) (punishment for criminal intimidation), along with section 4 (penalty for harassment of woman) of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act.
