Two Held For Sexually Assaulting Woman In Tamil Nadu; Cops, Suspect Injured In Encounter

Mariselvam and Mariappan had sexually assaulted a woman at her home in Kovilpatti. Based on her complaint, Kovilpatti West police launched a probe.

Tuticorin:Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district, police said on Tuesday. One of the suspects fractured his leg while attempting to escape and the other was shot in the leg in an encounter with the police. Also, an sub-inspector (SI) and a constable sustained injuries in the shootout.

The incident took place on February 23 when the suspects, Mariselvam and Mariappan, allegedly forced their way into a woman's house in Kovilpatti when she was alone and sexually assaulted her.

After the victim lodged a complaint at the Kovilpatti West police station, authorities initiated a manhunt. Mariappan was immediately nabbed but he fractured his leg while attempting to escape from police custody. Presently, he is undergoing treatment at the Kovilpatti Government Hospital.

On orders of Thoothukudi SP Albert John, a special team led by SI Rajaprabhu launched a search operation for absconding suspect Mariselvam. After this, the team located Mariselvam, who was hiding near a pond in Pudukottai in Thoothukudi.

When cops tried to arrest Mariselvam he resisted violently. He tried to attack Rajaprabhu and constable Ponram with a weapon he had hidden and escape from the spot. In a retaliatory attack, police fired at Mariselvam, who sustained bullet injuries on his left leg. However, Both Rajaprabhu and Ponram were injured in the incident.

The suspect along with the two police personnel have been admitted to Thoothukudi Government Medical College and Hospital.

SP Albert John said one of the suspects, Mariselvam, was shot in the leg after he attacked police officers. He said that police resorted to firing for their own safety. Both the injured officers and the suspect are in stable condition, he said adding, Mariselvam has a history of criminal activities with multiple pending cases.

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