CBI files charge sheet in Pollacchi sexual assault case

The CBI has filed a charge sheet against five suspects in a case of alleged sexual assault of a woman in Tamil Nadu's Pollacchi, officials said Friday.

CBI spokesperson Nitin Wakankar said the charge sheet has been filed against Sabarirajan alias Riswanth, K Thirunavukkarasau, M Sathish, T Vasanth Kumar and T Vasanth Kumar in a special court in Coimbatore, less than a month of taking over the FIR for investigation.

All the five accused are in judicial custody in Coimbatore jail, he said.

The agency has alleged that they were acting as an "organised criminal gang" and were in regular touch with each other.

Citing the need for specialised attention, dedicated investigation with technical expertise and the extremely serious nature of the crime, the Tamil Nadu government had given its consent to transferring the harassment and a related assault case from the state's CB-CID to the CBI.

A gang of four men had on February 12 allegedly tried to strip the woman inside a car near Pollachi, over 500 km from Chennai, and had shot a video of the act and blackmailed her using the visuals.

The victim, who managed to free herself, lodged a complaint with police on February 24.