KOCHI: A migrant worker employed as a lorry driver emerged as a guardian angel for a 25-year-old woman in Kerala after helping her escape an alleged sexual assault attempt by a group of five men near Muvattupuzha.
According to the police, on the intervening night of June 14 and 15, the woman, who worked at a spa, was returning home from work when a group of five men began following her on their motorcycles.
The accused allegedly attempted to sexually assault her, verbally abused her, and tried to hit her with their motorcycles when she attempted to flee, police said on Wednesday.
A passerby helped the woman flag down a tipper lorry and board it to escape the accused.
The lorry driver then continued driving despite threats from the men, helping ensure her safety.
However, the accused pursued the lorry for several kilometres before fleeing on spotting police personnel responding to the victim's emergency call, an officer at the Muvattupuzha police station said.
Visuals of the incident aired by news channels showed the accused, riding two motorcycles, engaged in a high-speed chase of the lorry carrying the woman.
The accused could be heard hurling abuses and threatening the driver to stop the vehicle, but he refused to do so.
All five accused, aged between 19 and 20 years, were arrested and remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday, police said.