Thiruvananthapuram city police have arrested a truck driver from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in connection with the sexual assault of a 25-year-old IT professional at a women’s hostel in Kazhakkoottam on Sunday, October 19.
The accused, whose identity is being withheld until an identification parade is conducted, was taken into custody from Madurai nearly 48 hours after the incident.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) T Farash said, “When the victim’s statement was recorded, the assailant was a complete stranger to her. A special investigation team was formed, and by analysing footage from around 50 CCTV cameras and tracking several vehicles, we were able to trace and apprehend the suspect.”
“The victim will have to identify him. He has confessed, but the confession must be corroborated with scientific evidence. More details will emerge as the investigation progresses,” he added.
According to police, the accused, a truck driver who regularly transported goods to Thiruvananthapuram, went into hiding soon after the crime. A joint team comprising three station house officers and members of the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force launched a manhunt and tracked him down after an extensive chase on Sunday morning. He was brought to the Kazhakkoottam police station by evening.
The case involves the sexual assault of an IT employee who was attacked in her hostel room in the early hours of Friday. The survivor reported that the intruder broke into her room around 2 am while she was asleep. She resisted the assault, prompting the attacker to flee.
The woman informed hostel authorities the next morning, following which a complaint was filed with the Kazhakkoottam police. Investigators registered a case of sexual assault and conducted a medical examination. The survivor was unable to identify the assailant at the time of her statement.