College Student Gang-Raped Near Coimbatore Airport; Accused on the Run

A 19-year-old college student was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by three men near the Airport area in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on Sunday night.

According to police, the victim and her friend were sitting in a car when three men approached them, attacked her friend, abducted the woman, and fled the spot. The friend immediately alerted the police, following which a search operation was launched. The victim was later found unconscious and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Preliminary reports suggest the accused were using a stolen motorbike before committing the heinous crime. The woman was taken to a secluded area where she was sexually assaulted. Police have formed seven special teams to trace and arrest the culprits.

Reacting to the incident, former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai said the case reflected the DMK government’s failure to ensure women’s safety. In a post on X, he wrote, “Since the DMK government came to power in Tamil Nadu, a series of crimes against women clearly shows that anti-social elements have absolutely no fear of the law or the police.”

Annamalai further alleged that there is a “clear tendency to protect sexual offenders” within the ruling dispensation and accused the DMK government of using the police to target critics instead of maintaining public safety. He said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin “should hang his head in shame” over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.