Five Arrested for Allegedly Abducting, Gang-Raping Woman in Kerala

Five people have been arrested for allegedly abducting a woman and gang-raping her after posing as police officers, officials said on Thursday.

The incident occurred on September 22, when the woman and her male friend, both from Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, checked into a lodge near the KSRTC bus stand in Thrissur.

According to police, a six-member gang allegedly barged into their room by posing as police personnel. The accused allegedly tied the hands and legs of the two, stuffed cloth into their mouths and forcibly took them away in a car.

The man was allegedly assaulted during the journey towards Tiruppur and suffered multiple fractures to his arms and legs. He was later abandoned outside a hospital near Tiruppur, police said.

Two members of the gang allegedly took the woman in another car, where she was sexually assaulted, according to police.

Investigators suspect the attack may have been carried out as a “quotation” job allegedly arranged by the man’s wife. Police said she allegedly tracked the man’s mobile phone location and passed the information to members of the gang.

Based on the woman’s statement, Tamil Nadu Police initially registered a case before handing the investigation over to the Thrissur City Police.

The probe, led by the Thrissur Assistant Commissioner, resulted in the arrest of one accused near Nedumbassery airport. Based on information obtained during interrogation, three more suspects were apprehended from Tiruppur.

The four arrested accused were produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody, police said. Another accused was arrested from Palani in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday and is scheduled to be produced before a court on Thursday.

Police said one more person, suspected to be a minor, is yet to be arrested. The investigation is continuing to establish the exact circumstances of the alleged abduction and assault and the roles played by each of the suspects, officials said.