Four Men Gang-Rape 20-Year-Old Nurse in Tamil Nadu, Leave Her by the Roadside

A still from an anti-rape protest. Image used for representation only.

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(Trigger warning: Mentions of rape, suicide)

A 20-year-old nurse in Tamil Nadu was allegedly raped and dumped on the road by four men, including a friend of hers. The woman was subjected to multiple sexual assaults on Saturday, 25 June, but the incident came to light after she attempted to end her life on the morning of Sunday, 26 June.

According to reports, the woman had completed her diploma course in nursing and was going to Vellore for a job interview. She and her friend were waiting at a bus stop near Chengalpet around 11 pm on Saturday, when her friend, 29-year-old Sarvanan, a resident of Athur, approached them in a car. He invited her for dinner, and she left with him, after informing her friends to carry on and that she would join them later.

Police Arrest Nurse's Friend, Other Accused Absconding

After she went with Sarvanan in his car, he called up three of his friends and asked them to accompany them – two of them have been identified as 21-year-old BCom student T Sarathy and 22-year-old Surya Prakash, an advocate. He picked them up midway and drove the car to a deserted area. There, the men allegedly forced her to consume alcohol and gang-raped her. Later, they left her by the roadside and fled the spot.

The incident came to light when the survivor reached home the next morning and attempted to take her own life. The nurse's parents filed a police complaint against the men at the all-women police station in Chengalpet.

The police have registered a case against the four men and have booked them under charges of rape, criminal intimidation, and kidnapping. The police have arrested the nurse's friend Saravanan. The other three accused are absconding and are yet to be arrested.

(If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs)