VELLORE: Police arrested four, including two minor boys for gang-raping a woman in Vellore on March 17. Sources said the woman and her friend had gone for a movie in Katpadi on March 16 and on their way back home they hired a share auto-rickshaw at 1 am.
The auto-rickshaw driver, who was supposed to drop them at a private hospital, allegedly rode in a different direction. When the duo asked him why he was taking the wrong route, he sped the vehicle and took them to an isolated spot. Five, including the driver, who were travelling in the auto-rickshaw, robbed the duo of Rs 40,000 in cash, two sovereigns of gold ornaments and gang-raped the woman.
Based on the woman's online complaint, the police registered a case under sections of IPC 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 342 (wrongful confinement), 365 (kidnap/abduct), 368 (wrongfully concealing or keeping in confinement kidnapped or abducted person), 376 D, 376 (E) (a repeated rape offender will have to be imprisoned for the rest of his life or sentenced to death), 395 (dacioty), 397 (committing robbery using a deadly weapon and causing grievous hurt), 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation), and section 4 (commits, participates, or abuts harassment of women) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment (TNPWH) Act.
Soon, the Superintendent of Police S Rajesh Kannan formed a special team headed by Vellore Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in-charge Ravichandran and launched a search to nab the five men.
On Tuesday, police arrested four of the five men, including the two minor boys and recovered the stolen property and evidence. They have been remanded to judicial custody. Further inquiry is on.