A police constable in Chennai has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a woman who was with her boyfriend in a car near Besant Nagar beach on April 29. The constable has also been charged with threatening the couple and extorting money from them.
Incident Details
Joseph, a constable attached to the Chennai High Court Complex police station, approached the couple around 8:10 PM. The victims are third-year students at a private engineering college. According to the complaint, Joseph flashed a torchlight into the car, entered the vehicle through an unlocked door, and showed an identity card claiming he was from Shastri Nagar police station. He threatened to register a case against them. Fearing legal action, the students pleaded with him.
Extortion and Assault
Police said the accused demanded money from the couple. The woman transferred 3,000 rupees online to an account linked to him. Joseph then drove the car to an Indian Overseas Bank ATM on Besant Nagar 3rd Main Road and forced the man to withdraw 8,000 rupees. While the man was at the ATM, the accused remained in the car with the woman and sexually assaulted her. When the man returned, he handed over the cash. The constable then drove the car back to the original location, got onto his two-wheeler parked there, and fled, according to the complaint.
Complaint and Investigation
The woman did not immediately report the incident. The next morning, she informed her family, following which her parents took her to the Shastri Nagar police station and lodged a complaint. Police registered a case and examined CCTV footage from the beach area and the ATM. Using the vehicle registration number and facial identification, they identified Joseph. He was arrested and booked for extortion and sexual assault. Joseph was produced before a magistrate court and remanded in judicial custody.
This article is based on a report by A Selvaraj, a veteran journalist with over 31 years of experience in crime reporting.
