Pollachi sexual harassment case: CBI search house of key accused

CBI on Friday searched the house of the key accused in the sensational Pollachi sexual harassment case based on documents they received from the CB-CID, which was probing into the case earlier.

The sleuths of the CBI are still continuing the search, police said.

The CBI had taken over from CB-CID the investigation into alleged sexual harassment of the woman  by a gang of men who had shot a video of her and blackmailed her demanding money.

The investigating agency had begun the probe on the request of the Tamil Nadu government on March 12.

The gang of four had on February 12 allegedly tried to strip the woman inside a car near Pollachi, and had shot a video of the act and blackmailed her using the visuals.

The victim, who managed to free herself, lodged a complaint with police on February 24.

The case assumed political overtones since a local functionary of the ruling AIADMK allegedly attacked the victim's brother.

The attack by the functionary, who was later expelled from the AIADMK, coupled with reports in a section of media that the gang had sexually harassed several other women, led to an outrage.

The issue eventually snowballed into a political row and the main opposition DMK targeted the AIADMK asking if it was protecting the accused persons.

A slew of protest demonstrations by parties including the DMK, students and the youth outfits had escalated the row, bringing more pressure on the government and police for speedy action.