CHENNAI: In a shocking incident exposing the vulnerability of individuals with mental health issues to exploitation and abuse, five men allegedly gang-raped a mentally unstable woman.

All five suspects were arrested and remanded in judicial custody for allegedly gang-raping a 22-year-old woman with mental health issues, in St Thomas Mount.

The woman, who went missing on September 22, was found at a bus stop on September 24. Upon inquiry, she revealed that Donali (30), who worked at a tiffin shop on Butt Road, had lured her with promises of marriage and took her to Kumbakonam.

There, Donali and his associates – Shankar (24), Rajendran (45), Saran (31), and Vijay (26) – allegedly gang-raped her.

The woman’s parents filed a complaint at the All-Women Police Station, St Thomas Mount, and the suspects were arrested after an investigation.

A medical examination of the victim later confirmed the gang rape, officials said.

The five suspects were booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and produced before a court, which remanded them in judicial custody. The police are investigating further.