CHENNAI: Greater Chennai Police Commissioner A Arun said police took swift action in the rape case of the Anna University student by solving the case within 24 hours.
Addressing a press meet on Thursday evening, Arun said the accused, Gnanasekaran (37), is the only one involved in the crime as per investigation carried on till now. Arun also debunked theories of the accused colluding with one ‘sir’ in the crime.
In response to reports about Gnanasekaran’s mobile phone containing videos of other women, Arun said the matter is under investigation. No other complaint of sexual assault or rape by Gnanasekaran has been received as yet, he added.
According to police sources, on December 23 evening, Gnanasekaran had allegedly filmed the survivor and her friend, assaulted the latter and held her in confinement for close to an hour and moved her to at least two different spots near two building.
Threatening to release the video of the couple to her parents, university authorities and consequently get her expelled from the institution, Gnanasekaran allegedly raped her and even recorded the act on video. He also allegedly took pictures of the victim’s college identity card and threatened her to oblige to his sexual demands in future. In between, the accused is also believed to have spoken to another person from his mobile phone.
“During the time he had confined the survivor, his phone was on flight mode. He had lied to the survivor about calling someone,” Arun told reporters. Police have added sections of wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and the IT Act against the accused besides sections for rape, he added.
Denying reports that Gnanasekaran was involved in multiple cases of sexual assault, Arun said he is an accused in 20 cases since 2013 and all of which are property crimes like thefts and house break-ins. “He has been convicted in six cases and others are under investigation. There is no case of rowdyism or abuse of any woman against him,” Arun said.
On concerns about security mechanisms in place at Anna University, he said the institute has 70 CCTV cameras of which 56 are functioning. “The cameras helped us nab the accused,” Arun said. The institute has also employed 140 security officers from Tamil Nadu Ex-Servicemen’s Corporation Ltd who guarded the 11 gates in three shifts, Arun added.
On how the accused got into the institute, Arun said the university allows walking by outsiders. GCP was able to take swift action in this case because the survivor filed a complaint within a day enabling the arrest of the accused, Arun said.
