Two Tiruvannamalai Cops Arrested for Allegedly Raping Fruit Seller

A chilling crime has rocked Tamil Nadu, as two policemen from Tiruvannamalai district were arrested and suspended for the alleged gang-rape of a 25-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh, who had come to the town with her mother to sell fruits. The horrific incident, which unfolded late Monday night, has unleashed a torrent of outrage, with opposition leaders and citizens slamming the DMK government for a catastrophic failure of law and order.

According to police investigators, the survivor and her mother, small-scale vendors from a rural Andhra Pradesh village, had traveled to Tiruvannamalai to hawk their produce at a local market. After a long day, they parked their vehicle on a roadside to rest around 10 PM. That’s when constables D Sureshraj and P Sundar, on routine patrol, approached them. Instead of offering aid, the officers allegedly coerced the women into their patrol vehicle and drove them to a desolate area on the town’s outskirts. There, the young woman was subjected to a brutal sexual assault, while her mother, helpless and terrified, was restrained nearby, police sources revealed.

The survivor’s anguished complaint, lodged at Tiruvannamalai’s All Women Police Station in the early hours of Tuesday, triggered swift action. The accused officers were apprehended within hours, their badges stripped as the department initiated suspension proceedings. “We are pursuing the maximum penalty – dismissal from service,” a senior police official declared in a statement, emphasizing that a thorough investigation is underway, with forensic teams combing the crime scene and medical examinations ongoing to build an airtight case.

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The assault has sent shockwaves through Tamil Nadu, a state already grappling with rising concerns over women’s safety. Social media platforms, particularly X, erupted with hashtags like #JusticeForFruitSeller and #TNSafetyCrisis, as netizens shared harrowing accounts of similar incidents and demanded accountability. “This isn’t just a crime; it’s a betrayal by those meant to protect us,” posted Chennai-based activist Meera V, her tweet amassing thousands of retweets. Local women’s groups staged protests outside the Tiruvannamalai police headquarters, holding candlelight vigils and calling for systemic reforms to vet and train law enforcement.

Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, chief of the AIADMK, seized on the incident to lambast the ruling DMK government. In a blistering statement, he called the rape a “dark blot” on Tamil Nadu’s reputation, accusing Chief Minister MK Stalin of presiding over a collapse in law enforcement. “The DMK should hang its head in shame,” Palaniswami thundered. “When police themselves prey on vulnerable women, who can citizens trust? This Stalin-model governance has turned protectors into predators.” He demanded a high-level probe and exemplary punishment to restore public faith.

The survivor and her mother, now under medical and psychological care at a government hospital, are said to be traumatized but stable. Community leaders from their Andhra village have rallied around them, with local NGOs offering legal aid to ensure justice. “She was just trying to earn a living,” said a family friend, speaking anonymously. “These monsters took advantage of her vulnerability. We want them behind bars for life.”

The case has also reignited scrutiny of Tamil Nadu’s police force, with critics pointing to lax oversight and inadequate sensitivity training. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows a 12% spike in crimes against women in the state over the past two years, fueling calls for urgent reforms. The DMK government, facing mounting pressure, has promised a “zero-tolerance” stance, with Home Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan vowing to fast-track the case through a special court.

As Tiruvannamalai reels, the incident casts a long shadow over Tamil Nadu’s image as a safe haven for women. With protests swelling and political heat intensifying, all eyes are on the police investigation – and whether it can deliver justice for a young woman whose only crime was trying to make ends meet. For now, the state holds its breath, grappling with a scandal that has shattered trust in those sworn to uphold it.

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