CHENNAI: Three men have been arrested on the charges of sexually assaulting a woman at a secluded location while threatening her husband at knifepoint in Tamil Nadu.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night when the couple from Odisha arrived in search of a job in Tiruppur, the textile capital of South India.
According to the police, the couple was standing at the railway station when three men - Mohammed Nadim (24), Mohammed Denis (25), and Mohammed Mursith (19)- approached them, offering assistance in finding a job.
Under the pretence of helping, the suspects lured the couple to a remote area, where they allegedly held the husband at knifepoint and sexually assaulted the woman.
Following the incident, the victim complained to the Tiruppur North Police Station. The police acted swiftly, registered a case, and arrested the three accused.
Tiruppur's knitwear industry employs around 800, 000 workers, with approximately 300, 000 hailing from North Indian states.
The incident has reignited debates over Tamil Nadu's law and order situation. Opposition parties, including the AIADMK and BJP, have accused the ruling DMK government of failing to ensure women's safety.
Several cases of sexual assault have surfaced in the state in recent months. On December 24, 2024, a second-year engineering student from Anna University was raped by a 37-year-old vendor.
In another shocking case, a 13-year-old girl from a government school in Bargur, Krishnagiri district, accused three of her teachers of rape.
TN BJP Chief Annamalai and AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) condemned the DMK government, claiming that crimes such as murder, robbery, dacoity, kidnapping, and sexual offences have become rampant.
"The law and order situation in Tamil Nadu has deteriorated due to these incidents, " EPS said, further alleging that sexual crimes against women and children have increased under the DMK government.
He added that parents of school-going children were particularly distressed by the rising cases of sexual assault.