Two more accused held in Rajasthani woman sexual assault case

TRICHY: The two other accused in the sexual assault of a 25-year-old Rajasthani woman were detained by police in Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district on Thursday. They were identified as S Purushothaman from Moopanar Nagar and S Anbarasan from Halima Nagar, both 19 years old. Kumbakonam West police had already arrested S Dhinesh, 24 and M Vasanth, 21 on Wednesday.

The youth were booked for outraging the modesty of a woman, kidnapping, attempting to rape and criminal intimidation. The woman who had come to Kumbakonam from Rajasthan to join a bank was sexually assaulted by the four-member gang near bypass road in Nachiyarkovil around midnight on December 1. They let her off after warning her of serious consequences if she reported the matter to anyone. Yet, the woman brought the incident to the notice of the police with the help of friends. She also recorded her statement in-camera in a Kumbakonam court on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the two accused arrested on Wednesday were put through potency test at Kumbakonam government hospital on Thursday as part of investigations. Those arrested on Thursday were yet to be produced in court and lodged in prison till late night. It was alleged that the gang had been stalking school and college going girls, cheating them by feigning love and blackmailing them. The accused had recorded obscene photos of the Rajasthani woman too.

Taking serious note of the crime meted out to the woman, Bar Association of Kumbakonam convened a general body meeting on Thursday and passed a resolution that none of the advocates attached to the bar would appear for any of the four accused people in the case. “Besides, we also appeal to other bar associations not to appear for them,” its president, advocate R Sankar, told TOI.