Palani rape case turns murkier as lodge owner claims threats from woman

The lodge owner Muthu told IANS over the telephone from Palani, "The couple came to my lodge and took a room. The next day they entered into a brawl after consuming liquor and later in the day they left the lodge with their belongings and without paying money. This was on June 20. On June 25 they came back and took their Aadhar card and requested some money which I gave  them and then they left."

He added, "On July 6, I received a call stating that it was from the Thalassery police and asked me to give money or face the consequences of rape. I said I will not pay and after this, I am hearing about these charges."

A senior officer with the Tamil Nadu Police told IANS "The woman and the man are not husband and wife and instead are living together and we have got information on this."

The woman had complained that "she was gang-raped by a group of three persons who took her forcibly to the lodge and beat her husband and that the culprits had injured her private parts using beer bottles."

However, the Kerala Police investigating officer and Deputy Superintendent of Thalassery in Kannur district, Moosa Vallikadan told IANS on Friday that according to the medical report provided by the Government Medical College, Kannur there were no such injury marks. Moosa had then said that the injuries would have healed as the alleged incident had taken place on June 20 and the report was lodged on July 9.

The woman and her partner are working in Kerala and had come to Tamil Nadu's Palani to visit the temple.

With the new allegation levelled by the owner of the Palani lodge, the Special Investigation Team constituted by the Tamil Nadu Police will be conducting a detailed interrogation of the woman and her partner.