Suspected rapists pledged victim’s jewels in pawn shop
The Hindu
Using the money, they planned to escape to their native place in Odisha, says police official
A day after a 45-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped and killed at Rameswaram, the police reportedly seized some of the victim’s ornaments that were allegedly pledged by the six suspects, all migrant workers, at a pawn broker’s shop in the town on Thursday.
The woman’s body was found near a prawn unit late on Tuesday. Villagers resorted to road blockade and burnt tyres on the Rameswaram-Madurai Highway on Wednesday morning, affecting vehicular movement till about 1 p.m. Some youths in the village had assaulted six migrant workers, who they suspected were behind the crime. The police admitted them to the Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai. , for treatment.
Based on the alleged confession of the suspects, a police team conducted a search at the pawn shop. It was said they had seized some ornaments belonging to the woman. A police officer said the suspects planned to escape to their native place in Odisha using the money they received by mortgaging the jewels.
Meanwhile, the post-mortem on the victim’s body indicated she had suffered bleeding. There were “evidence” that the woman was raped, a source said. There were strangulation marks around the neck, a reliable source in the GH said, adding that the victim was smothered to death. The body was handed over to her relatives and they buried the mortal remains in Ramanathapuram.
DMK MLA Kadar Batcha, alias Muthuramalingam, gave ₹2 lakh to the family members. He also assured them that he would take up the issue with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and get assistance from the government.
The relatives of the victim demanded ₹1 crore in compensation and a government job for the victim’s daughter. A senior police officer said the interrogation of investigation with the suspects was likely to be completed in a day or two. They were all brought from the Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai, after treatment and kept in a location for discreet probe.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”