CHENNAI: Coimbatore: A close acquaintance of fake NCC trainer A Sivaraman, who was involved in sexual assaults, was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Krishnagiri on Saturday.

The accused Karunakaran, 32, a former Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) functionary, had destroyed a computer hard disc and some other crucial evidence in the sexual assault case soon after the arrest of Sivaraman.

“Soon after the arrest of the prime accused, his friend visited a private school and got hold of the hard disc to avoid the arrest of other members of their network. He then destroyed it by setting it on fire,” police sources said.

His arrest comes a day after the SIT team led by K Bhavaneeswari arrested Gopu, 47, a bona fide trainer for NCC in some schools including the school, where the 12-year-old girl was sexually assaulted.

With this, Karunakaran is the 16th accused to be arrested in the case so far including the principal and correspondent of the private school in Kandhikuppam.

The prime accused, Sivaraman who sexually assaulted a class eight student during a fake camp in a private school in Bargur, had died in the government hospital in Salem due to poisoning.

Police said Karunakaran was produced in a court in Krishnagiri and remanded in judicial custody to be lodged in Salem Central Prison.