How a group of men behind 8 gangrapes in Tamil Nadu were brought to justice

Over six years after a series of gangrapes in the town of Pollachi shocked Tamil Nadu, a court in Coimbatore on May 13 found all the nine accused in the case guilty of gangrape. All of them were awarded sentences of life imprisonment till death. The case had shocked people after it emerged that the nine men had lured several young women between 2016 to 2018 to a secluded house and other locations and gangraped them. They also recorded videos of the incidents which they used to blackmail the survivors.Coimbatore Mahila court judge R Nandhini Devi concurred with the CBI prosecutor’s submissions and sentenced some of the convicts to double life imprisonment. The court also directed the state government to pay the eight survivors in this case a compensation of Rs 85 lakh collectively.Immediately after the verdict, the accused — K Arulanantham, N Sabarirajan alias Rishwanth, K Thirunavukkarasu, M Sathish, T Vasanthakumar, R Mani, P Babu, T Haronimus Paul, and M Arunkumar — were taken to the Salem central prison.While seven convicts had their faces covered with handkerchiefs and masks, two of them made no effort to hide their faces.How the gangrapes took placeThe nine men had lured several young women, including college girls, to secluded locations over a period of two years after gaining their trust through social media. In some cases, the women were promised jobs. The men would rape the women and record the crime on mobile phones, which they used to threaten the survivors into silence. The videos were also used to extort additional meetings and money from the women. The Pollachi case also exposed serious procedural lapses and flaws in the handling of crimes against women. However, it also stands as an example of how a mishandled investigation was eventually brought back on track through joint efforts of the police, the CBI, and the judiciary.The case first came to light when a 19-year-old student filed a complaint with the police in February 2019, in which she alleged she had been sexually assaulted and blackmailed with a recording of the act. Former Pollachi DSP R Jayaram, accompanied by SI T Rajendraprasath, were the ones who visited the house of the 19-year-old survivor and persuaded her family to file a formal complaint. “They were worried about her safety. But we convinced them,” said Rajendraprasath.During the investigation, the police found videos of many women who had been assaulted and filmed by the gang. However, the CBI was able to identify 12 of the survivors and eight of them testified in court against the accused.Why the case was handed to the CBIThe police probe that began in 2019 quickly ran into trouble. One of the serious lapses was the public disclosure of the survivor’s identity by then SP R Pandiarajan. As per the law, the identity of the survivor cannot be disclosed by the police, court or the media. The police official’s lapse was seen as a deliberate attempt to deter other survivors from filing complaints. The police were also accused of downplaying the scale of the crime and treating it as an isolated case, involving just one survivor. After widespread outrage and political pressure, the case was handed over to CB-CID of the state police.Superintendent of Police Nisha Parthiban, who took over the probe, identified other survivors from videos recovered from the mobile phones of the nine accused. She was also successful in convincing other survivors to file complaints, which in turn revealed the gravity of the crime and the impunity with which the accused had been operating. As the probe continued, details emerged about the nine accused men. One of the accused, K Arulanandham, was secretary of the local AIADMK students’ wing and was expelled after his arrest. The AIADMK was in power in the state at the time. Another accused, Nagaraj — who wasn’t involved in the sexual assault of the women but had assaulted a brother of a survivor — was also an AIADMK functionary. He was expelled as well.The other accused held various occupations like one was an onion dealer, another was a financier, one was a garment salesman, some were businessmen, and some did odd jobs. However, the police came under criticism again when the accused were allowed to meet family members while en route to Salem prison in 2021. The case was then transferred to the CBI. CBI SP Vijay Vaishnavi and inspector Pachaiyammal pursued the investigation with equal diligence and are said to have built a watertight case.How the trial was conductedThe trial began in February 2023 before Coimbatore District Mahila court Judge R Nandhini Devi. The trial was held in-camera (with public and media barred from attending proceedings) and protection was provided to the survivors and prosecution witnesses. “She (the judge) gave the survivors and witnesses the confidence and encouragement to record their statements without fear in court,” said B Jisha, Special Public Prosecutor in the Mahila court.Jisha said although judicial transfers are routine every three years, Judge Nandhini Devi was permitted to preside over the court for four years to ensure continuity of trial proceedings.‘Judgment gives hope to women fighting against sexual assault’On the day of the verdict, the Coimbatore city police placed barricades near the court to prevent onlookers and media from entering the court hall. Then came the verdict pronouncing all the accused guilty. The All-India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) welcomed the verdict and state treasurer A Radhika said that protests by the group had ensured the arrest of the accused, who the police had attempted to shield. “We welcome the judgment, and it would give hope to women who are fighting against sexual assault on women,” she said V Surendra Mohan, special public prosecutor representing CBI, said, “CBI and the prosecution’s efforts didn’t go to waste, and the court gave proper justice to the victims. We welcome the judgment.”However, defence counsel A Pandiarajan said there were no witnesses to the alleged offence. “We will appeal against the verdict in Madras high court,” said Pandiarajan.Celebrations…and a blame gameLeaders of various political parties hailed the verdict of the Pollachi case but some leaders questioned if more could have been done for the survivors. Chief minister M K Stalin charged the previous AIADMK government with attempting to shield the accused, while AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami countered the allegation, saying his government arrested the accused and initiated a CBI probe.Stalin posted on X that justice was delivered for the atrocities committed by an AIADMK functionary and others. “Let the ‘sirs’ who tried to shield the gang, including the AIADMK functionary, bow their heads in shame if they have any dignity,” the CM said. DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi told reporters that the AIADMK government only registered a case and transferred it to CBI after protests from DMK and other opposition parties. She said people have confidence in the DMK regime because it registers, investigates, and arrests regardless of party affiliation.PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss called for increasing the compensation awarded to the survivors to Rs one crore for each of the women. AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran viewed the verdict as a warning against crimes against women, saying DMK regime should deal with sexual assaults with a firm hand. MNM leader Kamal Haasan commended women for their bravery in testifying in the case.