VELLORE: A history-sheeter tricked a 20-year-old Irula woman and her husband posing as a policeman, held them captive for nearly four hours and raped her repeatedly, besides forcing them to have sex in front of him.
The incident took place on Friday night after the man picked up the couple from their house in Irular Colony in Maanthangal village. He also duped their relatives and neighbours, who confronted him, claiming that he was taking them to the police station for an inquiry regarding a robbery in a TASMAC outlet on Diwali night. “The couple was held captive from 10.30 pm on Friday to 2.30 am on Saturday,” said a police officer.
Venkatesan, who was freed on conditional bail 10 days ago, had gone to Irular Colony around 10 pm on his motorbike. From there, he picked up the couple -- Rajeswari (20) and Chinnappa (28) (names changed). Before leaving the place, he told their relatives that he was taking them to the Kalavai Police Station for an inquiry and after the inquiry they would return home.
Meanwhile, some of the couple’s relatives went to the police station to check on what happened to them. But the police told them no one was picked up for any inquiry. The couple, however, returned home around 2.30 am. They told their relatives that the man who took them was not a policeman and that he (Venkatesan) had raped Rajeswari and forced the couple to have sex in front of him, said the police.
Venkatesan, against whom several cases had been filed, took them to an isolated spot behind the EB office near Maanthangal junction. “He assaulted them and raped the woman repeatedly in front of her husband. Before sending them back, he forced the couple to have sex in front of him. He also threatened them not to disclose the matter to anyone,” said a police officer.
Acting on the victim’s complaint, the Kalavai police filed a case. “The couple identified Venkatesan as the rapist,” said the police. They launched a search and nabbed Venkatesan from his hideout and are interrogating him. SP P Vijay Kumar said the victim had been sent for a medical check up. “The victim’s statement will be recorded by a magistrate as per Section 164 of the CrPC on Monday,” said the SP.