Coimbatore college student sexual assault: 3 suspects arrested after encounter

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu): Three people suspected to have been involved in the brutal sexual assault on a college student here were shot at and nabbed by the police.

All three, who were responsible for the heinous crime near the Coimbatore international airport on Sunday, were found to have been involved in criminal cases in the past, the police said on Tuesday.

After thoroughly checking CCTV footage, the Peelamedu police narrowed down on the trio hiding at an isolated place in Vellikinaru. Finding themselves surrounded, the three attacked the police team in a bid to escape and inflicted injuries on a police constable. However, the police opened fire and shot at all three suspects.

While one of them sustained a gun shot in one leg, the other two were injured in both legs when the police opened fire, the official said. All of them have been admitted to a government medicare facility here along with the injured constable and undergoing treatment.

The suspects have been identified as Guna, Satish and Karthik. They have been arrested and further investigation is on.

The sexual assault sent shock waves across the state and sparked political outrage with various parties demanding stringent action against the culprits.

The unidentified miscreants attacked and chased away the male friend of the 19-year-old student and allegedly sexually assaulted her on November 2 night at a secluded spot.

Despite being injured, her friend managed to inform the police. Late in the night, the police managed to locate the victim with the help of the locals and had her admitted to a hospital.