A 40-year-old forester attached to Ambur Range was tied to a tree and assaulted by a group of four unidentified men in Naickaneri Hills during the late hours of Sunday.
According to sources, the forester had been allegedy involved in an affair with the wife of one of the men behind the attack. It was also alleged that the forester had concocted a story to cover up his extra-marital affair. Within a few hours after the forester Ramachandran was rescued and admitted to the GH in Ambur by his department personnel, a woman from Seekajonai tribal village lodged a complaint at the Ambur Taluk Police Station against the forester alleging that he tried to sexually harass her.
Ramachandran, who was on night beat in Naickaneri Hills area on Sunday, did not return till Monday morning. The Forest Department personnel in the range received information that he was found tied to a tree and badly beaten up. The forest personnel rushed to the spot and rescued Ramachandran and shifted him to the GH.
Ramachandran reportedly told his seniors that somebody hit him with the butt of country-made gun and injured him badly. They conducted an inquiry and found that Pancharathinam, Kumar, Sundaramoorthy, Periyakutty and Thangaraj of Seekajonai had attacked Ramachandran and tied him to the tree on Sunday night.