TN: Municipal head arrested on rape charges

RAMESWARAM (TAMIL NADU): Six persons including the Chairman of Rameswaram Municipality belonging to the state's ruling DMK, were arrested today on the charge of raping a 31-year-old married woman and taking obscene pictures of her, police said today.

Police said the Chairman Jaleel had asked the woman to come to Rameswaram when she asked for money for meeting some urgent expenses.

Police said she had gone to a building owned by the Chairman near the bus stand on July 5 to get the money when he allegedly offered soft drinks to her. She fainted minutes after taking it and when she woke up, she realised that she had been raped, she alleged in her complaint.

She told the police that she also found cigarette burns on her body.

She said she was assaulted when she cursed them. They also threatened that they had taken obscene pictures of her and would put them on the internet. Later they had detained her for two more days and sexually abused her, police said.

Following the complaint, District Superintendent of Police, Pradeep Kumar, ordered an investigation when a prima facie case was established against the Chairman and others, police said.

Investigation showed the Chairman and five others, including Thiagarajan, a dismissed constable, were involved in the crime, police said.

Police seized their cell phones and registered cases against them under various IPC sections including 375 (rape), and arrested them.