Five in Aruppukottai rape case remanded in judicial custody

MADURAI: Five persons, including a juvenile, who were arrested in Aruppukottai, Virudhunagar district after being charged with abducting a 40-year-old woman and raping her on Tuesday, have been produced before the Judicial Magistrate, Aruppukottai on Wednesday. They were remanded to judicial custody and taken to a prison in Virudhunagar, sources said. Seven persons, including the juvenile aged 17, were behind the crime, but two others, who are said to be brothers, slipped from the police dragnet. Those arrested are Seenivasan (42) of Kovilangulam, Jeyakumar (23) of Venkatachalapuram near Peraiyur, Ramkumar (20), Alaguraj (19) and the 17-year-old juvenile offender. Among those arrested, Seenivasan is an ex-serviceman, sources said. The gang of seven attacked Muthuselvam, friend of the victim and car driver, of Karisalkulam, before abducting her. The incident occurred when three of the gang led by Seenivasan were proceeding to a court in Aruppukottai to attend a hearing. Four others accompanied those three persons. The gang watched the victim talking with Muthuselvam along the roadside, sources said.