THANJAVUR: Four men belonging to caste Hindu community were arrested on Friday for allegedly gangraping a Scheduled Caste woman near Thanjavur. According to sources, the 22-year-old victim belonged to a village coming under the Vallam police station limits and was working at a supermarket.
On the night of April 11, she was waiting at a bus stop near Thanjavur new bus stand. At that time, G Kodiyarasan (25), her former schoolmate and hotel worker from a village near her village, offered her a lift. When the woman initially refused, Kodiyarasan allegedly snatched her phone and said he would return it only if she accepted his offer.
The woman agreed, but Kodiyarasan took her on a different route. Even as the woman shouted at him to stop, Kodiyarasan refused to. He stopped near a cashew tree grove and dragged her into it, where he and associates M Saminathan (30), Kannan (25) and M Tamilarasan (27) allegedly raped her. Police said they also abused her by calling her caste name and threatened her with dire consequences if she reported the incident to anyone.
A special team of police traced the gang to Srirangam and brought them to Thanjavur and arrested them. Police also arrested Velusamy (60), a former village panchayat president, Chelladurai (40) and Tamilarasan (27) for organising a kangaroo court to help the accused.