Tiruvallur sexual assault case: Man picked up from RGGGH, let off

CHENNAI: What appeared to be a solid tip that came in after releasing the photograph of the suspect in the Tiruvallur child kidnapping and sexual assault case turned out to be a false alarm, after the man whom the police picked up from the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for questioning turned out to be unconnected with the case.

After being alerted by the public about a person resembling the suspect in the photo that was officially released on Tuesday, the police team picked up the Uttar Pradesh native, who has been undergoing treatment for injuries at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. However, after investigations, the police confirmed that the man was not the suspect they were searching for and let him off.

The person questioned on Wednesday is a vendor who sells wares on electric trains. On Tuesday night, he was found unconscious on a railway platform and was admitted to a hospital, police said.

A couple of days ago, the Tamil Nadu Police had announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone providing specific and credible information leading to the identification of the suspect in the minor girl kidnap and sexual assault case in Arambakkam police limits in neighbouring Tiruvallur district.

While the incident happened on July 12, the CCTV footage of the yet-to-be-identified suspect grabbing the girl from behind and taking her into the bushes went viral a few days later. Despite the availability of footage, the Tiruvallur district police are yet to make any headway in identifying the suspect.