Pollachi sex abuse case: Key accused, Thirunavukarasu sent back to jail
The investigating wing of the Tamil Nadu police, probing the Pollachi serial sex abuse case, today produced the accused, Thirunavukarasu at the residence of the magistrate, who sent him back to jail. Taking no chances, he was produced even before the four-day custody ordered by the court ended.
Investigators say they had grilled him with the information the woman survivor had given and the video evidence they had collected from the gang's mobile phones, pen drives and storage devices found in Thirunavukarasu's home. "We have collected a lot of information. We will collect all evidence, collate them and build a strong case, and file chargesheet as soon as possible," a police officer told NDTV.
Though the state government has transferred the Pollachi case to CBI, the probe agency is yet to take over the investigation.
Thirunavukarasu, 26, has an MBA degree and owns a business in finance. According to the police, he is the "kingpin who made the gang members develop relationship with young college students" and used the videos they made with the girls to blackmail them for money and sexual favours.
An unverified video reportedly filmed by local people show Sabarirajan, one of the four members of the gang, explaining how he took a college student for a drive and abused her sexually. He also said that Thirunavukarasu used his videos to blackmail girls.
Although initially the Coimbatore police claimed that the gang had sexually abused around sixty women over the last seven years, CBI-CID sources said, they are revisiting the claim as so far only one woman's report is on record. The opposition blamed the state government and the police for this.
The DMK alleged that senior police officer, Pandiarajan mentioned the survivor's name in a press meet to scare more women from filing complaints. Even the Tamil Nadu Home Secretary mentioned the woman's name while transferring the case to CBI. The Madras High Court ordered payment of Rs 25 lakh to the survivor and blamed the government for glaring lapses in handling the case.