Late night attack on Chennai techie: 3 arrested, woman’s condition serious
Three days after the brutal assault of a 30-year-old software engineer in Perumbakkam, the Chennai police have arrested three persons suspected of attacking her. In addition to the victim's bike, the police have also retrieved two phones and a knife that was used to attack the techie.
Meena* was riding her two-wheeler on the Thalambur-Perumbakkam road after finishing work in Guindy at 2.30 am on February 13.
She was stopped by three men who hit on her head. The attackers then grabbed her high end mobile phone, gold chain (1.5 sovereigns) and sped away on her bike. She was reportedly dragged away to the side of the road and left there.
Despite being grievously injured, Meena managed to walk a little and signal for help.
Following this, six special teams, with the assistance of cyber and forensic experts, were searching for the accused involved in the crime.
Now, the police have arrested Vinayagamurthy (21), Narayanamurthy (19) and Lokesh (19) in connection with the attack.
Meena meanwhile, is still in hospital, and seriously injured. The grave nature of her injuries has made it difficult for the police to get more information about the attack itself, as Meena is unable to give a complete statement yet.
According to a press release by the Chennai police, a sickle was used to cut her face.
Videos accessed by TNM show a grievously injured Meena struggling to talk. She has a deep gash on her right cheek and is wearing an oxygen mask. Her eyes are swollen and closed. A person can be heard asking her to confirm her identity and she manages to speak out her name. When asked what happened to her, she says, "He started... He hit me... That is why it is like this."
Meena, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, has been admitted to a private hospital and is undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, the Forum for IT Employees (FITE) has said that inadequate safety measures for employees are to blame for incidents such as the assault on Meena.
* Name changed.