Pollachi sexual assault case: TN Mahila court holds 9 arrested men as guilty

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) | The Coimbatore Mahila court on Tuesday held all nine men arrested in the sensational Pollachi sexual assault and extortion case as guilty.

Judge R Nandhini Devi would pronounce the quantum of punishment later in the day.

All those facing the charges have been accused of criminal conspiracy, sexual harassment, rape, gang rape, and extortion, in the series of incidents including blackmail that happened between 2016 and 2018. The victims were mostly college girls and the incident came to light after an affected student lodged a complaint with the police.

The incident caused an outrage in the state and even echoed in the state assembly. An audio clip of a purported victim also went viral, sending shock waves across the state.

The Coimbatore Mahila court on Tuesday held all nine men arrested (N. Sabarirajan, K. Thirunavukkarash, M. Satheesh, T. Vasantha Kumar, R. Mani, P. Babu, T. Haronimus Paul, K. Arul, M Arunkumar)

While the local police initially probed the matter, it was later transferred to the CB-CID. In 2019, the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The counsel representing the CBI said the agency had sought the "highest punishment" of lifer till death.

The CBI has sought compensation for the victim women.

To a question, he said the convicted persons had sought leniency on grounds including their young age and aged parents.

A total of 48 witnesses were examined by the prosecution and none of them turned hostile, he said.

The electronic evidence played a crucial role in proving the charges as they were "scientifically proven."