Two suspects have been detained by the Kancheepuram police in connection to the rape of a German tourist on April 2 at Mamallapuram, reports ToI. The rape survivor who received photos of the two men detained, has reportedly confirmed that one of them was among her attackers.
From April 2, Kancheepuram district superintendent of police Santhosh Haidmeni has been camping at Mamallapuram police station. He was accompanied by at least 10 inspectors who were looking into all possible angles. According to the report, the lack of CCTV cameras and witnesses has made the case arduous for investigating officers. Finally, a breakthrough was made with the help of the mobile tracking system.
"It is a tedious process, but we are calling every possible suspect to the police station for questioning. We have asked the woman to come to Chennai to identify the detained men. The German Embassy officials in Delhi have also promised to cooperate in the investigation process," said an officer to ToI.
One team of investigating officers was reportedly assigned the task of tracking 400 calls from the mobile phone tower in Pattipulam recorded from 9am to 11am on April 2. They were given the suspect's sketch to verify their findings. "We verified the address of each caller and asked why they were in the Pattipulam area on April 2? As we eliminated the list, we narrowed down at least 50 of which about 10 kept their mobiles switched off. Police teams went in search for them after tracking their address and narrowed down on the suspects," said the police officer to ToI.
The rape survivor was part of a 12-member group that was touring the country. Around 8 am on April 2, she decided to go on a walk after a sunbath. But she reportedly walked away from the private beach area and was then allegedly dragged into a casauarina grove and sexually assaulted. She then managed to find her way back to the hotel and contacted the German embassy. Following this, the police was alerted.