In a separate case, four others – T Senthil (25), P Babu (26), K Vasanthakumar (20), R Manivannan and AIADMK functionary A Nagaraj (28) – were arrested for assaulting the brother of the victim.
On Monday, the police said they were taking steps to book all the four accused under the controversial Goondas Act. The issue first came to light on February 24, when a 19-year-old girl lodged a complaint with Pollachi East Station police, alleging that her friends took her in a car and sexually harassed her and robbed her gold chain. Police suspect that close to 50 young women from across Tamil Nadu could have been lured through Facebook and sexually harassed by the four-member gang from Pollachi. The victim will soon reveal the truth,” he said, adding that he met the DGP to discuss the case. “Opposition parties are trying to project me in the wrong light for political gains. Deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman held a press meet in Chennai to deny his involvement. This after AIADMK expelled its youth wing member A Nagaraj for threatening the brother of the victim. The opposition accused the government of neglecting safety of women. The issue, meanwhile, has snowballed into a major political slugfest, with names of several prominent politicians being dragged into the case.
