AIADMK member held in 2019 Pollachi sexual assault case

Those arrested on Thursday were identified as K Arulanantham, 34, the AIADMK’s Pollachi town students’ wing secretary, Haron Paul, 29, ‘Bike’ Balu, 27, a second-hand bike dealer, police officials said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday arrested three people, including a functionary of Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK, in connection with the 2019 Pollachi sexual assault case, officials familiar with the matter said.

During the investigation, it was revealed that a network of men sexually assaulted close to 50 women.

A total of eight people have been arrested in the case that came to light in February 2019 when a 19-year-old woman filed a complaint against four men for allegedly sexually assaulting her and filming the act in Coimbatore district’s Pollachi town. During the investigation, it was revealed that a network of men sexually assaulted close to 50 women.

Those arrested on Thursday were identified as K Arulanantham, 34, the AIADMK’s Pollachi town students’ wing secretary, Haron Paul, 29, ‘Bike’ Balu, 27, a second-hand bike dealer, police officials said.

“They are friends of the accused who were previously arrested in the case,” a senior police official said on condition of anonymity.

The AIADMK announced Arulanantham’s expulsion from all party posts. “We request that party workers should not have any contacts with him,” chief minister E Palaniswami and deputy CM O Panneerselvam, said in a statement in Chennai.