PUDUKKOTTAI: The second accused in the alleged gang rape of a 35-year-old speech-impaired woman near Alangudi in Pudukkottai was arrested on Tuesday. The suspects were identified as S Marimuthu (55) and A Sekar (55) of Manakkollai village near Karambakudi.
While Marimuthu was arrested on Monday, Sekar, who had been absconding, was secured on Tuesday by special police teams. Both have been remanded in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family alleged that she was not properly attended to at the hospital on the night of the incident and was asked to return home.
They claimed she was taken back to the hospital on Monday morning after her condition worsened. However, Pudukkottai Government Medical College Hospital Dean Dr Kalavani denied the allegations during a press interaction on Tuesday. She said the victim was examined and provided appropriate medical treatment from the time of admission.
According to police, the woman was returning home from work on Sunday evening when the suspects, who were known to her, allegedly offered her a lift in a car. Investigators said the two men later sexually assaulted her and abandoned her near their village.
The incident came to light after a woman constable attached to the Karambakudi police station found the victim in distress on the Alangudi-Vettanviduthi road and alerted police and ambulance services.
Based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother, the Alangudi All Women Police Station registered a case under Section 70 of the BNS and relevant provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. Further investigation is under way.