Wanted youth in Pollachi assault case surrenders before court

A youth surrendered before a court here Monday in connection with the assault on the brother of a 19-year-old woman, who was allegedly sexually harassed at nearby Pollachi. Mani alias Manivanan, wanted by police in connection with the assault case, surrendered before Chief Judicial Magistrate S Nagarajan who remanded him to judicial custody till April 8. Already, four people had been arrested in the case and a hunt was on for Mani.

They had allegedly beaten up the woman's brother for lodging a police complaint about the sexual harassment by a four-member gang on February 12. The gang had allegedly tried to strip the woman inside a car near Pollachi, recorded the act and blackmailed her using the visuals. The victim, who managed to free herself, lodged a complaint with police. As reports emerged that the gang had sexually harassed many more young women and blackmailed them, the state government ordered a CB-CID probe and later transferred it to the CBI.