Tamil Nadu / 20-year-old woman raped by 5 in car after being drugged, left on highway in TN

Chennai: The Kancheepuram police have arrested four men for allegedly sedating and gang-raping a 20-year-old woman in Melkathirpur village near Chennai. 

The arrestees have been identified as Gunaseelan, Jebanesan, Gunasekaran and Ajit. As per the case details, the 20-year-old woman, who is an employee of a private mobile shop, became friends with Gunaseelan through social media.

On Wednesday, Gunaseelan picked her up from her workplace in his car and took her to his farmhouse near Kancheepuram. Police said she was offered a sedative-laced soft drink. After she lost consciousness, Gunaseelan and his friends took turns to sexually assault her inside the four-wheeler.

When she regained consciousness, she tried to break the window of the car. Hearing the noise, few locals rushed to help her. Upon noticing locals approaching, the accused fled from the spot. Later, the woman was allegedly dragged out of the car and left on the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway.

The survivor then went to a police station, where she narrated her ordeal. She was shifted to a hospital for treatment. Police sprang up in action and nabbed four accused -- Gunaseelan, Jebanesan, Gunasekaran and Ajit  -- in the case. Efforts are being to nab the fifth accused.

This comes days after a group of at least six youngsters, including a minor, gang-raped a college student and thrashed her male friend at the foothills of Chamundi Hills in Karnataka’s Mysuru. The alleged crime had sparked massive public outrage, prompting Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Home Minister Araga Jnanendra to assure speedy action against the culprits. Subsequent police efforts led to the arrest of all six accused in the case. A Rs 5 lakh reward to the police team has been announced for cracking the case.