Pocso accused arrested in Tamil Nadu for threatening to kill survivor's family
COIMBATORE: Three men, including two on bail while standing trial for gang-raping a Class XI girl in a Coimbatore park in 2019, have been arrested after the survivor's father complained that they threatened to kill the family members.
As per the complaint, the two barged into the house on Monday and offered the family 15 lakh to withdraw the rape charges.
As per the complaint, the two barged into the house on Monday and offered the family 15 lakh to withdraw the rape charges.
"They threatened to finish off the entire family if it pursued the case," a police officer said. K Saravanakumar, deputy commissioner of police (south), Coimbatore city, said police are guarding the survivors' family.
According to police, the girl, then a Class XI student, was celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend, a relative, at a park on Nov 26, 2019. When they were about to leave around 9.30pm, a six-member gang bashed up the boyfriend and took the girl to an isolated place near the park where they raped her. They also videographed the act, police said.
According to police, the girl, then a Class XI student, was celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend, a relative, at a park on Nov 26, 2019. When they were about to leave around 9.30pm, a six-member gang bashed up the boyfriend and took the girl to an isolated place near the park where they raped her. They also videographed the act, police said.
The girl told her mother who lodged a complaint with the all-women police. The accused - P Manikandan (prime accused), T Rahul, R Prakash, S Karthikeyan, S Narayanamurthy and Karthi - were arrested and booked under Pocso and multiple counts of IPC and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, besides Goondas Act.
The survivor, who is now around 21 and a college student, had appeared before the court and given her statement.
Three arrested, one on the run
A few months ago, as the case approached the final stage, the accused came out on bail.
Police said Manikandan and Karthik, along with their friends Auto Mani and Arun Hassan, had threatened the family on Monday afternoon. "When we refused to accept their deal, they threatened to kill us," police quoted the survivor's father as saying. "The four escaped when neighbours came to our rescue." Police later arrested Manikandan, Karthik and Auto Mani. Hassan is on the run. "We've increased patrolling and the other accused are under surveillance," deputy commissioner Saravanakumar said.
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