6 accused in Rameswaram gangrape thrashed by public; treated at hosp

CHENNAI: The six accused in the Rameswaram gangrape and murder case have been hospitalised at Madurai and Ramanathapuram Government hospital as they were beaten black and blue by the public, who were riled over the heinous act.

Six from Odisha, Prakash (22), Vikas (24), Pintu (19), Prasad (19), Rakesh (25) and Ranjan Rana (34), were accused of raping a fisherwoman who made a living by collecting seashells on the early hours of Wednesday. After raping her, they choked her to death and set her on fire.

Her mortal remains were dumped 100 metres away from the shrimp farm they worked at.

Worried that she hasn't returned, her husband and fisherman, Balu had lodged a complaint and the police filed a case under Sections 376 and 302 of IPC.

The agitated crowd that protested to seek justice for Chandra ransacked the shrimp farm and triggered a blaze. Traffic came to a standstill for more than six hours due to the protests. People of the Vadakadu fishing community sought a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the deceased's family.

Chandra's mortal remains were handed over to her family members after the post-mortem. The police have planned to commence investigation once the accused receive treatment, and present them before court.