A 20-year-old student at a private college was allegedly raped by a trio in a deserted area near the Coimbatore International Airport late on Sunday.
According to police, who have launched a manhunt to nab the accused, the three men assaulted the victim’s boyfriend and chased him away before dragging her to a nearby place where she was sexually assaulted. The incident took place at around 11 pm when the student, pursuing post-graduation, and her friend were sitting inside a car at a vacant plot.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the trio broke the glass window of the car with stones, opened the door and assaulted the man. It was he who alerted the police and lodged a complaint. Rescuing the student from a deserted place, the police got her admitted to a private hospital. Her boyfriend was admitted to the Coimbatore Government Medical College Hospital.
Earlier on Monday, senior police officers inspected the scene of crime and special teams were formed to apprehend the culprits.
The incident has given a handle to the opposition to put the DMK government on the dock over safety of women.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, in a social media post, accused the state government of being insensitive and slack on protection of women. He urged the administration to nab the culprits and secure exemplary punishment for them.
BJP state president Nainar Nagendran, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam of actor Vijay slammed the government over the incident.
The All-India Democratic Women’s Association, in a statement, expressed serious concern over the rise in such crimes, targeting young women, in Coimbatore. It urged the city police to nae the accused and get them punished without delay.