COIMBATORE: A 44-year-old doctor attached to the Government Medical College Hospital in Ooty has been arrested for sexually exploiting a medical student after luring her with the promise of helping her clear her examinations.
The accused, identified as Om Prakash from Chennai, was employed in the hospital's emergency department. Police said he had approached the 22-year-old student, who was reportedly under stress over her upcoming examinations, and offered to help her pass by using his influence with senior authorities.
According to investigators, Om Prakash later asked the student, who hails from a northern Indian state, to meet him at a hotel in Ooty on the pretext of discussing the matter further. During the meeting, he allegedly exploited the student and also recorded the incident on his mobile phone.
The student raised an alarm, prompting hotel staff to alert the police. Officers conducted an inquiry and later transferred the case to the Ooty All Women Police Station (AWPS). Police registered a case against Om Prakash and arrested him on Monday. He was produced before the Additional Mahila Court in Ooty and remanded in judicial custody.
Investigators said the accused, who had been married twice, was living alone in Ooty while working at the government hospital. Police are also investigating whether he had targeted other students using a similar modus operandi.
In a separate incident in Salem, police arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly attacking and sexually assaulting a 65-year-old woman who was living alone.
Police said the victim had returned home after visiting a nearby shop on the night of March 14 when the accused, Ravi Kumar of Jallikadu area, followed her and forced his way into the house. He then attacked the elderly woman.
Hearing her cries for help, neighbours rushed to the spot and later admitted the injured woman to the Salem Government Hospital for treatment. A case was registered by the All Women Police Station (AWPS) in Ammapet, and the accused was arrested on Sunday following a search operation.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that Ravi Kumar had previously been booked in 2024 in a similar case of sexual assault on an elderly woman within the limits of the Kannankurichi police station. Further investigation is ongoing.