COIMBATORE: A court on Thursday granted the police one day of custody of the three suspects arrested over the gang-rape of a college student near the Coimbatore airport early this month.
The special police team probing the case said the investigation team had moved the court, seeking custody of the three suspects - T Karuppasamy, alias Satheesh (30), his brother T Kaleeswaran alias Karthik (21), and their relative M Guna, alias Thavasi (20), of Madurai district.
The petition filed by police seeking custody for interrogation was filed a week ago and came up for hearing on Thursday.
The three suspects who were in judicial custody in the Coimbatore Central Prison were brought to the Coimbatore Combined Court Complex in two ambulances as they had suffered bullet injuries on their legs due to firing by the police during their arrest near Thudiyalur.
They were taken to the court hall on a stretcher and a wheelchair.
During the in-court proceeding, the Judicial Magistrate of the Additional Mahila Court, NG Sindhu, recorded the statements of the suspects and granted them one day's police custody.
The police were instructed to produce the suspects on Friday evening.
"The case-related investigations were almost completed. However, the custody is necessary to know whether they have been involved in similar crimes in that same locality and other areas. Police sought three days custody, but the court granted for one day. The police are planning to submit the charge sheet in the case by December first week, in accordance with Chief Minister MK Stalin's direction to file it within a month," said police sources.
Police sources said that the police special team plans to hold the custodial interrogation of the accused on the campus of the Police Recruit School at Papanaickenpalayam.
The survivor and her male friend are said to have identified the three suspects during the test identification parade (TIP) of the accused held at the Coimbatore Central Prison on November 18.
Meanwhile, the results of forensic examinations are awaited. The police have requested the government laboratories to expedite the results, considering it a high-priority case.
The three suspects allegedly gang-raped a 20-year-old woman on the intervening night of November 2 and 3. The crime occurred in a deserted area behind a private college campus near the Coimbatore International Airport. Her 25-year-old male friend was beaten up before she was dragged away and sexually assaulted.
Coimbatore City Police Commissioner A Saravana Sundar is supervising the investigation.