Two of the three men arrested in connection with the brutal sexual assault of a 20-year-old college student near Coimbatore International Airport have a long criminal history, including charges of murder, extortion, robbery, and drug possession, police records show.
The accused identified as Guna, Satheesh Karuppasamy, and Karthik Kaleeswaran, were arrested after a dramatic chase and exchange of gunfire on November 4. Acting on a tip-off, police surrounded the men near Pattatharasi Amman Temple in Thudiyalur. According to police, the suspects allegedly attacked officers with sickles, prompting a retaliation. The accused were shot in the legs before detention.
Investigations revealed that Karuppasamy (30) and Kaleeswaran (20), both brothers from Sivaganga district, are repeat offenders with multiple pending cases across Tamil Nadu.
According to police documents, Kaleeswaran has been booked in at least seven criminal cases, including for murder, robbery and extortion. Cases were registered against him at Kinathukadavu, Sulur, Sathiyamangalam, and KG Chavadi police stations.
His brother Karuppasamy faces four previous cases, including a murder and robbery case at Kinathukadavu, and theft and robbery cases under Sections 380, 392, and 457 of the IPC. Many of these cases are still pending trial and the duo were out on bail for a month.
The third accused, Guna, also reportedly has prior run-ins with the law, though his case details have not been made public yet.
According to media reports, the three men had been living in Irugur, near Coimbatore, working as daily wage labourers. On the night of November 2, they allegedly attacked a college student and her male friend who were sitting in a parked car near Brindavan Nagar, behind the airport. The men assaulted the friend with a sickle, rendered him unconscious, and then dragged the woman away and raped her.
After the survivor’s friend regained consciousness, he alerted the police, who launched a massive search operation. The woman was found in a traumatised condition about a kilometre away.
The Coimbatore City Police have formed special teams to investigate the case further, while both the survivor and her friend are recovering in hospital.