Coimbatore Rape Case: 3 Accused Arrested, Shot in Legs During Escape Bid

Coimbatore City Police Commissioner Saravana Sundar on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of three men accused of abducting and sexually assaulting a college student near Coimbatore airport. The suspects — identified as Guna, Karuppasamy and Karthik alias Kaleeswaran — were shot in the leg by police after allegedly attempting to escape during the operation, ANI reported.

“The accused tried to flee when officers moved in to apprehend them. They were shot in the leg in Vellakinaru on the outskirts of the city,” Sundar said, adding that all three have been admitted to Coimbatore Government Hospital. A head constable was also injured in the encounter.

The incident took place on Sunday night when the survivor, who was in a car with a male friend, was attacked by the trio. They allegedly smashed the car window, assaulted the friend and abducted the woman before sexually assaulting her at a different location. She was rescued on Monday morning and is now under medical care.

Police earlier said seven special teams had been formed to track down the suspects.

The case has triggered a political row in Tamil Nadu, with BJP state president K. Annamalai accusing the DMK government of failing to protect women. In a post on X, he alleged that “anti-social elements no longer fear the law” and accused the ruling party of shielding offenders instead of ensuring justice.