THOOTHUKUDI: The Kovilpatti police on Monday arrested two youngsters accused of sexually assaulting a woman at knife point in Kovilpatti a few days ago.
While the accused identified as Mariappan (28) was held after a hot chase at Kovilpatti, V Marichelvam (23) was arrested after the officers opened fire, as he attempted to escape from police clutches in Pudhukottai.
Based on a complaint over an alleged sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman on February 16, the Kovilpatti West police had registered a FIR on Monday and launched a search. According to the complainant, the two suspects had trespassed into her house at Veeravanchi Nagar on February 16, sexually assaulted her at knife point, and threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident to anyone. The victim's husband is working in Kerala and she was alone with her baby at the home during the incident, sources said.
Acting on the complaint, the police launched a search and collected fingerprints and other evidence from the house on Monday. They spotted the two suspects during a search in the nearby hilly area. Though the duo attempted to flee, Mariappan was caught after he fell down and fractured his legs. He has been admitted to the Kovilpatti government hospital.
Meanwhile, Marichelvam managed to escape, and was later caught at Pudhukottai near Thoothukudi by a special team led by DSP Ramakrishnan. During the operation, Marichelvam attempted to attack Sub Inspector Raja Prabhu with a knife in a bid to escape. However, the police shot the accused in his leg and caught him wounded. Marichelvam has been admitted at Thoothukudi medical college hospital. SI Raja Prabhu had also been hospitalised, sources added.