CBI arrests AIADMK functionary, 2 others in Pollachi sexual assault case

The arrests were made more than a year after the CBI took over the probe from the Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-CID Wing.

Those arrested were AIADMK Pollachi Student wing Secretary K Arulanandam, Bike Babu and Keron Paul.

Later, they were produced before the Coimbatore Mahila Court which remanded them in judicial custody till January 20.

Meanwhile, in a swift action the AIADMK expelled Arulanandam from the primary membership of the party and relieved him of all party posts for acting in a manner that caused disrepute to the party.

The Tamil Nadu Government had on March 14, 2019 issued an Order transferring the probe into the recent sexual assault and blackmailing of several women in Pollachi by a group of people, to the CBI in the wake of widespread protests and the Opposition parties, including the DMK, demanding punitive action against all those involved in it.

Soon after the incident surfaced in February 2019, four people were arrested and they were later detained under the Goondas Act.

The four--Thirunavukkarasu, who is the mastermind in the case, Sathish, Sabarirajan, Vasanthakumar--all in their 20s, were accused of sexually assaulting many young women in Pollachi area over a period of time and filming the act.

The mobile phones seized from the accused had videos of at least 40 women who the accused had allegedly blackmailed for money and sexual favours.

The GO said the DGP, on a complaint from a college student on February 24, 2019 that she was physically and sexually harassed by a group of men inside a car, cases were registered at Pollachi East Police Station under Sec 354-A, 354-B and 392 of IPC (Central Act XLV of 1860) and Sec 66-E of Information Technology Act, 2000 and Sec 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998 (Tamil Nadu Act 44 of 1998) against the four accused, who were later arrested.