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8 victims, 9 perpetrators: What is Tamil Nadu's Pollachi sexual assault case?

Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore Mahila Court convicted all nine accused in the Pollachi sexual assault case, sentencing them to life imprisonment. The investigation uncovered a disturbing pattern of exploitation, involving at least eight women, including college students read more Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore Mahila Court on Tuesday convicted all nine accused in the brutal Pollachi sexual assault case. Image for Representation In a verdict that was six years in the making, Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore Mahila Court on Tuesday convicted all nine accused in the brutal Pollachi sexual assault case. The sinister group had lured young women and college students, sexually assaulted them, and filmed the acts to extort and repeatedly abuse them. Since their arrest in 2019, they have remained in jail and were prosecuted for a range of offences, including criminal conspiracy, sexual harassment, rape, gang rape, and repeated rape on the same woman. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The court has now found all nine accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment for the remainder of their life, bringing an end to a disturbing chapter that shook Tamil Nadu. The court also directed the state government to pay a total compensation of Rs 85 lakh to eight survivors of the assaults, reports The Hindu. Here's what happened The chilling Pollachi sexual assault case Between 2016 and 2018, a group of men from Pollachi orchestrated a deeply disturbing pattern of sexual abuse and blackmail targeting young women. The case surfaced in February 2019, when a 19-year-old college student lodged a complaint at the Pollachi East Police Station. She alleged that she had been sexually assaulted and blackmailed by four men inside a moving car near the town. According to her testimony, the ordeal began when an acquaintance named Sabarirajan—also known as Riswandh—asked her to meet him alone, claiming he had something important to discuss. As per The News Minute, she agreed to meet him at a bus stop in Pollachi one afternoon. There, she saw Sabarirajan waiting near a car, accompanied by another familiar face—Thirunavukkarasu. The two convinced her to get into the vehicle, saying they would speak during the ride. As Thirunavukkarasu drove, Sabarirajan sat in the back seat beside her. Without warning, two more men—Sathish and Vasanthkumar—entered the car. The four then allegedly disrobed her by force and recorded a video of the assault. They also stole her gold chain. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The case surfaced in February 2019, when a 19-year-old college student lodged a complaint at the Pollachi East Police Station. She alleged that she had been sexually assaulted and blackmailed by four men inside a moving car near the town. Image for Representation. PTI The group reportedly threatened to leak the video online if she refused to comply with their demands for sexual favours and money. Though traumatised, the girl remained silent initially. But as the blackmail and threats continued, she confided in her family, and they approached the police. What investigators found on the accused's phones and laptops would soon unravel a far more sinister and organised crime ring. A disturbing extortion network exposed Investigators revealed that mobile phones seized from the accused revealed a vast cache of videos, not just of the 19-year-old survivor who first came forward, but also of several other women. These disturbing clips showed the extent of the abuse the group had carried out over the years, often filming their victims without consent after sexually assaulting them at various locations. Recognising the gravity of the situation, the Tamil Nadu government handed over the case to the Crime Branch-CID on 12 March 2019. But with mounting public pressure and growing demands for an impartial probe, the investigation was soon transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which officially took over on 25 April 2019. What the CBI uncovered was a deeply systematic pattern of abuse. Survivors told investigators they were blackmailed with threats that the explicit videos would be shown to their families or circulated in their communities if they didn't comply with the perpetrators' demands. In cases where encounters were initially consensual, the men used the recordings to extort further sexual favours, money, or valuables. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As per The News Minute, the CBI identified nine men as accused in the case: N Sabarirajan, also known as Riswandh K Thirunavukkarasu M Sathish (33) T Vasanthakumar (30) R Mani, aka Manivannan (32) P Babu (33) T Haronimus Paul (32) K Arulanantham (39) M Arunkumar Each played a distinct role in the operation. Sabarirajan was found to be the key figure—often luring women into the trap. Thirunavukkarasu, a financier, operated alongside Vasanthakumar, who worked as his collection agent. Sathish ran a garments shop in Pollachi. The victims, many from lower and middle-income backgrounds, were carefully targeted. Though investigators believe many more women were victimised, only eight survivors came forward to testify in court. Also read: 1.8 million users, 91,000 videos: What is Kidflix, the largest paedophile platform in the world, now busted? Backlash, politics, and botched handling The investigation didn't go without controversy. Political connections of some of the accused further complicated the case. Arulanantham, one of the nine convicted, was the AIADMK's Pollachi town students' wing secretary. He was expelled from the party a day after his arrest, as per the Hindu. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Early on, the case drew criticism when the Coimbatore District Superintendent of Police R Pandiarajan publicly revealed the name of the survivor during a press briefing—an action that likely discouraged other survivors from stepping forward out of fear of public exposure. On Tuesday, they were brought to the Coimbatore court under heavy police security; vigilance was intensified across the city. Inside the court, a chamber made of one-way glass prevented others from seeing the survivors during the hearing and trial of the case. Over 200 documents and 400 items of electronic evidence, including forensic-validated videos of the assaults, were presented during the trial. Women's rights activists welcomed the convictions but demanded a systemic follow-through. 'This verdict is a relief, but survivors need compensation, counselling, and government job assurances to rebuild their lives,' an NDTV report quoted a member of the Tamil Nadu Women's Collective as saying. With input from agencies