Hindustan Times (Ranchi)

MYSURU RAPE: MINOR AMONG FIVE FROM TAMIL NADU HELD, ONE ABSCONDING

- HT Correspond­ent letters@hindustant­imes.com

MYSURU: Five labourers allegedly involved in the rape of a college student near Mysuru earlier this week have been arrested, Karnataka DG and IGP Praveen Sood said on Saturday.

The five, who frequented Mysuru often, are from the “labour class” doing jobs like wiring, carpentry and driving, he said, adding, they hailed from Tirupur in Tamil Nadu.

“As per preliminar­y interrogat­ion, one of them is a juvenile -- a 17-year-old -- subject to confirmati­on”, he said. The sixth one is absconding.

They accosted the college student and her male friend near the Chamundi foothills on the outskirts of Mysuru on August 24 and tried to rob them. When they did not succeed, they allegedly assaulted him and raped her, police sources said.

“It’s a case of robbery first”, Sood said, adding, the culprits also demanded ₹3 lakh but declined to go into details.

However, he said there was no blackmail angle to the incident so far. Sood said the arrested used to come to Mysuru for some work with their friends to Bandipalya APMC yard, a wholesale vegetable market, from the neighbouri­ng state.

Police sources said the victim was so traumatise­d that she was not in a position to give statement to police.

IGP SAYS THE FOUR ACCUSED OFTEN FREQUENTED MYSURU FOR WORK AND HAILED FROM TIRUPUR IN TAMIL NADU

MYSURU: Five labourers allegedly involved in the rape of a college student near Mysuru earlier this week have been arrested, Karnataka DG and IGP Praveen Sood said on Saturday.

The five, who frequented Mysuru often, are from the “labour class” doing jobs like wiring, carpentry and driving, he said, adding, they hailed from Tirupur in Tamil Nadu.

“As per preliminar­y interrogat­ion, one of them is a juvenile -- a 17-year-old -- subject to confirmati­on”, he said. The sixth one is absconding.

They accosted the college student and her male friend near the Chamundi foothills on the outskirts of Mysuru on August 24 and tried to rob them. When they did not succeed, they allegedly assaulted him and raped her, police sources said.

“It’s a case of robbery first”, Sood said, adding, the culprits also demanded ₹3 lakh but declined to go into details.

However, he said there was no blackmail angle to the incident so far.

Sood said the arrested used to come to Mysuru for some work with their friends to Bandipalya APMC yard, a wholesale vegetable market, from the neighbouri­ng state.

“Before going back (home to

Tamil Nadu), they had the habit of drinking (alcohol) and partying. They were there on that day (August 24). What happened thereafter all of you know”, Sood said.

Police sources said the victim was so traumatise­d that she was not in a position to give statement to police on the incident.

“We have to be sensitive to the trauma she is suffering”, Sood said, adding, police could gather informatio­n from her male friend but it was “limited” as he was unconsciou­s and the incident happened between 7 pm and 8 pm (when it was dark).

There is informatio­n that some of the accused had “criminal background” and were involved in cases in Tamil Nadu but it needed to be verified, according to him.

“We will file the charge-sheet as soon as possible”, Sood said, adding, Forensic Science Laboratory teams are working “fulltime” as part of the investigat­ion.

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