Coimbatore, 4 Nov

Three suspects involved in the brutal sexual assault of a college student were shot at and nabbed by police in Coimbatore on Tuesday.

After that, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin directed filing a chargesheet within a month and ensure the culprits received maximum punishment in the case soon.

The three men - Satish alias Karuppsamy, his brother Karthi alias Kalishewaran - both from Virudhunagar district and their relative Guna alias Thavasi from Madurai district were nabbed late on 3 November when they tried to attack the police team that went in search of them, City Police Commissioner A Saravana Sundar told reporters here.

Condemning the sexual assault, CM Stalin said the tragedy that befell the young lady was inhumane. No harsh words would be adequate to condemn such heinous crimes.

"The culprits involved in the case have been traced and arrested immediately. I have ordered the police to file a chargesheet within a month and get them the maximum punishment as soon as possible," Stalin said in a post on the social media platform ‘X.’

He further said that "the progress that our women achieve in all fields will put an end to the patriarchal mentality of such perverted animals and will lead to our transformation into a completely progressive society."

According to Saravana Sundar, the investigators scanned about 300 CCTV footages and corroborated them with inputs received from the people and identified the exit route of the suspects, who were identified and swiftly traced at their hiding spot in Vellakinaru at around 10.40 pm of Monday.

"They attacked the police personnel, forcing the latter to use minimum force to overpower them by opening fire below the knees," they said. A police constable was injured when the trio attacked the team.

Investigation revealed that they were related and have criminal cases including murder, theft and hurt pending against them and were attending a court case related to a murder case.

"On the night of November 2, the three robbed a two-wheeler and were travelling on the mud road near the airport when they noticed the student and her friend talking in the car," the Commissioner said. The trio broke the car windows with stones and inflicted cut injuries on the student's male friend before dragging her to a deserted place that had no light and committed the offence.

"There was no delay on the part of the police in responding to the SoS. Her friend made a call to the police control at 11.20 pm and the police arrived at the spot in 15 minutes. She was taken to the hospital after she emerged from the spot," Sundar said, adding, the woman was out of danger.

The victim was being provided psychological counselling, the Commissioner said.

Satish, 30, Karthi, 21, and Guna, 20 were labourers and had also worked in a lathe unit. Preliminary investigation revealed that the trio after robbing a two-wheeler had some alcoholic drinks and were proceeding to the airport when they noticed the couple and sexually assaulted the student.

Police also filed a gang rape case against the three, the official said.

While one of the suspects sustained a gun shot in one leg, the other two were injured in both legs when the police opened fire, an official said. All of them have been admitted to a government medicare facility here along with the injured constable and undergoing treatment. Further investigation is on.

The sexual assault has sent shock waves across the state and sparked political outrage with various parties demanding stringent action against the culprits.

Despite being injured, the victim's friend managed to inform the police. Late in the night, the police managed to locate the victim with the help of the locals and had her admitted to a hospital.