Coimbatore college student abducted, raped near airport; boyfriend brutally assaulted

Dubai: A 20-year-old postgraduate student from a private college in Coimbatore was allegedly abducted and raped by three unidentified men near the Coimbatore International Airport late on Sunday night, after her boyfriend was beaten unconscious.

Police said the survivor and her boyfriend, 23, had left her hostel around 4.30 p.m. and had dinner before driving to a quiet stretch near the airport. Around 11 p.m., three men on a two-wheeler — believed to have been stolen earlier that evening from Kovilpalayam — approached the parked car, hurled a stone at the windshield, and dragged the man out.

The gang attacked him with sticks and stones, leaving him bleeding and unconscious. He later required 28 stitches for deep head injuries.

The assailants then abducted the woman, taking her to a small shed about a kilometre from the airport. She was allegedly raped and threatened not to report the crime before being abandoned near a vacant plot around 4 a.m. Monday. According to The Indian Express, rescue worker Savitri said the young woman was found traumatised and in tears when help arrived.

The injured man regained consciousness shortly after the attack and, despite his wounds, managed to drive the damaged vehicle towards the airport road to seek help. Passersby called the police, who rushed him to a hospital. Multiple police teams launched a search, and within hours, the survivor was located behind a private college near Sitra, about a kilometre from the airport.

Senior police officials and forensic teams reached the scene past midnight. Evidence, including tyre marks and clothing, was collected for analysis. A senior officer said low lighting and the absence of CCTV cameras in the area have complicated the probe. “We are analysing all technical inputs and movement records from the airport corridor,” the officer said.

The Peelamedu police have registered a case under sections of the Indian Penal Code related to kidnapping, sexual assault, and gang rape. Seven special teams have been formed to identify and arrest the accused.

Both the survivor and her boyfriend are undergoing treatment at private hospitals. Doctors said her condition is stable but that she remains severely traumatised.

The brutal assault has triggered public outrage in Coimbatore, with residents and women’s groups demanding swift arrests and stricter night surveillance around the airport. City police said patrols and camera coverage would be stepped up immediately.

-- Inputs from IANS