College student gang-raped in Tamil Nadu's Kancheepuram, five arrested
What's the story
The Kancheepuram district police in Tamil Nadu arrested five people in connection with an alleged gang-rape of a 20-year-old college student on Friday.
According to reports in The Hindu, the crime was committed at knifepoint by threatening the victim girl and her male friend in a secluded area.
The police also confirmed that both students studied at the same private college.
Details
Victim, her friend approached by two intoxicated men initially: Cops
As per reports, the victim and her friend frequently visited this secluded area of the town near a private school property.
According to the cops, the students were speaking to each other when two men reportedly approached them while consuming alcohol at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The police also added that it was dark as there were no streetlights in that area.
Info
Accused took turns to rape the victim: Police
The two intoxicated men then called three others to the spot and reportedly took turns raping the victim, the cops confirmed.
The accused men also threatened to kill and bury the woman if she did not comply with them.
Later, the 20-year-old woman and her male friend managed to escape when they got an opportunity.
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Three accused held down the victim's friend: Cops
The two reached out to their families afterward, who admitted the victim to the hospital and informed the cops.
The victim also told the police that she couldn't recognize any of the accused men, but she heard one of them calling another Vimal.
"Three of them held him while the other two took her to a nearby place and raped her," said an officer.
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Police reveal names of accused men
A case has been registered under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Kancheepuram SP M. Sudhakar said: "In connection with the rape reported in Kancheepuram taluk police station limits, we have caught five accused who are all from nearby villages."
The cops have identified the accused men as Sivakumar, Vimal, Thennarasu, Manikandan, and Vicky alias Vignesh.
Government data
TN reported 16% rise in crime against women in 2021
Crime against women went up by nearly 16% in 2021, as per the statistics provided in the Tamil Nadu assembly in May 2022.
As per official numbers from the central government, the country reported 31,677 cases of rape in 2021.
India averaged nearly 86 daily cases, and 49 cases of crime against women were lodged every hour.