COIMBATORE: Kangeyam all-women police arrested two Bihar-based workers for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh who arrived in the town on December 31 in search of a job. The arrested were identified as R Nitish Kumar (23) and N Rubeshkumar (21) from Sitamarhi district in Bihar. They were working as tailors in a knitting firm at Maruthuraiyan Valasu village near Kangeyam for the last four years and stayed in the employee quarters on the firm’s premises.
Police sources said the suspects saw the lone girl at Tiruppur railway station on December 31 when she was seeking help from locals to find a job. They approached her and invited her to their room on the pretext of getting her job in their firm. They introduced her as their relative to other workers and made her stay in their room. At night, the two allegedly offered her liquor as part of New Year celebrations, but she declined it. They then offered her a soft drink allegedly laced with sedative and sexually assaulted her, police said.
Around midnight, she regained consciousness and raised the alarm hearing which neighbors alerted the employer. During the inquiry, the girl revealed that she was sexually assaulted. On being informed, personnel from Kangeyam All-Woman Police Station detained the suspects. After interrogation, they were booked under sections 5 (l) (g) (Aggravated penetrative sexual assault) read with 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and section 366 (kidnapping) of IPC on Monday and remanded to prison. The girl was admitted to the Tiruppur Government Hospital, said police. Further, the probe is on.