COIMBATORE: A video released online by the prime suspect in the gangrape case of a minor girl on November 26, has now gone viral on social media. He had released the video before he surrendered on December 3.
P Manikandan (30) of Seeranaickenpalayam says in the video that the gang actually tried to save the girl. He went on to request police to conduct a DNA test to find truth in the matter. On November 26, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped by six persons at a park in Seeranaickenpalayam, after she had gone there to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend.
Based on her complaint, the police arrested five persons - T Rahul (21), R Prakash (22), S Karthikeyan (28) S Narayanamoorthy (30) and Karthik, all of them hailing from Seeranaickenpalayam were arrested and remanded under judicial custody.
Manikandan, said to be the prime suspect, surrendered before a court on December 3, but only after releasing a video on social media. The said video has now gone viral.
Manikandan, in the video, says, “I did not do anything wrong. That day, we approached the couple when they were alone in the park. Then, we led the girl towards a police station in the area. She pleaded to us asking not to produce her before the police because she already had two cases on her. We left her and never knew what happened later.”He said that he avoided surrendering fearing that police would kill him in an encounter.
“The police should examine the CCTV footage of a check post camera nearby. They should also have a DNA conducted on the boyfriend and on us to find out the truth. Two persons who were not there have been dragged into the case,” he said. Manikandan claimed (in the video) that he is releasing the video expecting to get attention from the city police commissioner, collector and the human rights commission.