A 35-year-old speech-and-hearing-impaired woman was gangraped after being abducted in a car near Karambakkudi in Pudukottai district on Sunday evening. Police have arrested one suspect, while another is absconding. Top police sources said the arrested accused was identified as S Marimuthu, 55, while a search is on for A Sekar, 55, who is on the run.
The survivor, a daily-wage labourer employed at a private modern rice mill in Pachchikottai near Alangudi, used to travel to her workplace by bus every day. According to police, on Sunday around 4:30 pm, after finishing work, she was waiting near Meghala Theatre bus stop in Pachchikottai to return when the accused approached her in a car. Police said the men offered to drop her home and forced her into the vehicle. They sexually assaulted her before abandoning her near Pillaiyar Kulam in Manakkollai village within the limits of Malaiyur police station.
As the woman was speech-and-hearing impaired, she was unable to clearly explain the incident or provide details about the vehicle involved. Police said a crowd later gathered near the spot where she was found. Woman head constable Vasuki of Karambakkudi police station, who was passing through the area and also hails from the same village, noticed the survivor and alerted the police. She was initially shifted to the government hospital in Alangudi through the 108 ambulance service and later referred to the government Raniyar government maternity hospital for further treatment.
Following the complaint, Malaiyur police personnel rushed to the scene around 8:30 pm and began an inquiry. Police secured Marimuthu and seized the car allegedly used in the crime by around 9:30 pm on Sunday. The case, initially registered at Malaiyur police station, has been transferred to Alangudi All Women Police Station (AWPS). Police have booked the accused under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with section 92(b) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. Marimuthu was arrested and sent to remand on Monday evening. A special team led by DSP Brinda has been formed to trace the absconding accused.
Meanwhile, the victim's family alleged negligence in treatment at the government hospital. "The hospital showed total negligence. They did not even provide a bed and she was made to lie on the floor," a family member alleged. According to the family, the woman was treated until late Sunday night and discharged. However, after she reportedly developed fits early on Monday morning, she was taken back to the hospital for further treatment.
