COIMBATORE/CHENNAI: In the first major law-and-order challenge since the new government led by C Joseph Vijay took charge, a 10-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and brutally murdered in Coimbatore, sparking shock and outrage across the State.
Two people have been arrested in the case, and the 33-year-old main accused suffered fractures on his arm and leg, which the police claimed happened when he jumped off the first floor while fleeing from them.
CM Vijay termed it an inhuman and unforgivable crime and assured that those involved in heinous crimes against women and children would receive severe punishment under the law.
According to the police, on May 21, the child’s father had gone to work while her mother was asleep at home. The child, who was playing outside the house, later went to a nearby shop, and then went missing. The parents, both construction workers who had shifted residence to the village only 20 days ago, lodged a complaint with the police around 8.30 pm. Based on the direction by Coimbatore SP Pawan Kumar Reddy, five special teams were formed to trace the child.
Later, the police recovered her body from a coconut grove near a waterbody.
“We searched for her everywhere. When we finally saw her body, there were injuries all over. Her face was disfigured badly,” her family members alleged. The child sustained serious injuries to the neck and mouth, they said, alleging that she was subjected to brutal torture before being murdered.
Meanwhile, the officials examined footage from around 200 CCTV cameras in the area and spotted a person taking the girl on a motorcycle. He was later identified as Karthik, a Nagapattinam native who lived near the family, who allegedly lured the child away after offering to buy her chocolates.
"The arrest was made within 24 hours of receiving the phone call. Initially, it was a girl missing case and later turned into a sexual assault and murder case," said West Zone IG RV Ramya Bharathi.
An official statement said Karthik confessed to sexually assaulting and then strangling the child to death. During the investigation, the officials also found that R Mohan (30) assisted the accused, and arrested him.
As the incident triggered an uproar, State police chief DGP Sandeep Rai Rathore and ADGP (Law&Order) Maheshwar Dayal inspected the spot and monitored the investigation.