COIMBATORE: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the sensational Pollachi sexual assault and extortion case, on Wednesday arrested three persons including an AIADMK functionary.
The arrested persons included K Arulanandham (34) from Vadugapalayam, Pollachi, T Herine Paul (29) from Achipatti, Pollachi and P Babu (27) from Vadugapalayam, Pollachi. Arulanandham is the AIADMK Pollachi Town students’ wing secretary.
The CBI, which has taken up the case for investigation in March 2019, has detained the three from Pollachi on Tuesday evening for inquiry. After the interrogation, the agency has produced all three in the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for medical examination. They are likely to be produced before court on Wednesday morning for remand.
The investigation agency has registered two FIRs – one on sexual harassment of the woman and second on the assault on her brother of the victim – against the accused persons.
Recently, in December 2020, Coimbatore Mahila Court granted permission on Thursday to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to examine the voice samples of the five accused in the Pollachi sexual assault case.
The five accused, who were arrested earlier, are K Thirunavukkarasu, N Sabarirajan alias Rishwanth, N Sathish, T Vasanthakumar and R Manivannan.
The case pertains to the alleged sexual assault by one of the accused on a 19-year-old girl near Pollachi on February 12, 2019. Investigations found that the accused video recorded the act and blackmailed the girl. After a case was registered based on the victim's complaint, a few more videos of sexual assaults surfaced. The agency had filed a charge-sheet against the five accused in May 2019.
The case was first investigated by the Coimbatore district police before it was transferred to the Crime Branch – CID. Later, the State government had transferred the case to the CBI for dedicated investigation.