Tamil Nadu: Two drivers, conductor gang-rape 15-year-old girl in bus; 4 held

Salem: In yet another horrific crime against women in Tamil Nadu, a 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two drivers and a conductor in a bus at Narayanampalayam in Salem district on Monday night.

The three men, who allegedly committed the crime after halting the private bus at a village, were arrested on Tuesday.

The incident has brought back memories of the December 16, 2012 sensational gang-rape in Delhi in which a 23-year-old woman paramedic was raped in a moving bus in New Delhi.

The matter came to light after some locals in the village heard the cries of the girl and alerted the police.

According to the police, the girl, after a tiff with her parents, was seen moving about aimlessly here on Monday.

She later boarded a local bus to a village in the afternoon and kept travelling to and fro in the same bus till late night, the police said.

S Manivannan, 31, of Sanyasikundu and P Murugan, 35, of Athikaripatty, who usually take turns to drive the bus, and conductor K Perumal, 22, of Sanyasikundu pacified the girl and befriended her, reported PTI.

Later, the three men allegedly raped the girl at night.

According to The Times of India, the girl, who had studied up to Class IX, had developed a relationship with G Vijayan, 20, of Veeranam in the district three years ago. Police said he raped the girl on various occasions and recently introduced her to his friend K Perumal. "After that, she became very close to Perumal too," they said.

When the girl raised an alarm, villagers rescued her and the three were arrested.

The Omalur police arrested Vijayan too on the basis of the girl's statement.

"A total of nine sections including those from the IPC, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, have been invoked against the accused," a senior police official told PTI.

The girl was taken to a hospital and produced before the Child Welfare Committee, he said.

Senior district officials visited the girl and held enquiries, he added.

(With Agency inputs)