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The Tamil Nadu police on Saturday, May 23, arrested two men in connection with the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Sulur taluk of Coimbatore district. The news of the child's death triggered protests from relatives and local residents, who staged a road blockade in front of the Sulur Police Station, demanding stringent action. The demonstration began around 9:30pm and persisted for more than nine hours into the early Saturday morning, necessitating traffic diversions across the region.
Addressing the media on Saturday, West Region Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ramya, said that the victim went missing on May 21 evening at around 6 pm. When the parents were unable to find the child despite repeated attempts, they approached the police who subsequently registered an FIR at 10 in the night.
IGP Ramya told the media that five teams were deployed as part of the investigation. “Around 200-250 CCTV cameras were analysed. The investigation revealed that Karthi, a 33-year-old resident of Nagapatnam who was known to the family, had kidnapped and assaulted the child before killing her in a coconut grove near a pond in Kannampaleyam,” she said.
The IGP also added that Karthi was found hiding in a multistorey building in Kannampaleyam. “Once he was rounded up by the police on the first floor of the building, he jumped off the building and fractured his left leg and arm in the process,” she said.
Further police investigation has also revealed that the accused Karthi’s friend Mohan, a 30-year-old resident of Pallampaleyam was also an accomplice to the crime. “Both Karthi and Mohan are daily wage labourers. Karthi has been booked under the relevant sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and Mohan has been booked for criminal conspiracy,” IGP Ramya added.
Karthi has been sent to Kovai government college hospital in Coimbatore for treatment. He will be sent to judicial custody later. The second accused, Mohan, was produced before Judge Arunkumar at the Sulur Judicial Magistrate Court and has been remanded to judicial custody until May 27.
The police are waiting for the postmortem examination report of the child. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay has said that such incidents will not be tolerated. "The horrific incident that occurred yesterday to a 10-year-old girl in Coimbatore causes immense grief and shock. Such inhuman and unforgivable criminal acts can never be tolerated in our society," he stated.