CHENNAI: Tambaram police arrested four suspects on Friday in connection with an incident along the East Coast Road (ECR) in Kanathur, where seven youngsters in two cars—one bearing a DMK flag—allegedly chased and harassed a woman and her friends in the early hours of January 25.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Santosh (28), Tamilkumaran (21), Ashwin (24), and Vishvesh (21). Addressing reporters on Friday, Pallikaranai Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) A C Karthikeyan stated that the suspects had used the party flag on their car to avoid paying toll and parking fees, clarifying that they had no political affiliations.
Among the seven suspects, one is a graduate and six are college students, including one studying outside Tamil Nadu. One of the accused has previous cases of kidnapping and cheating filed by the Greater Chennai Police. A search is underway for the remaining three suspects.
Denying any delay in action, Karthikeyan said the complainant filed a petition on January 26 and was immediately issued a CSR, which was later converted into an FIR. Regarding security on ECR, he said three night patrol vehicles are stationed in the area, and in this case, a patrol vehicle reached the spot within 10 minutes.
A video of the incident went viral, prompting opposition leaders to raise concerns about women’s safety, as a DMK flag was visible on one of the cars.