Two arrested for assault on schoolgirl at Chenkottukonam

Thiruvananthapuram: The Pothencode police have arrested two persons in connection with an incident in which a girl student was assaulted in broad daylight at Chenkottukonam on Thursday afternoon. The arrested have been identified by the police as Vinayan (28), of Melekavuvila Veedu at Kattayikonam and Arun (31) of Anandeshwaran at Chenkottukonam. The police said the two other accused in the case are still absconding and the search is on for them. The girl identified the accused at the police station, and they were remanded to custody after evidence collection at the crime spot. The police got clues about the accused by checking the CCTV footage. The two accused were identified from the registration number of the vehicle on which they came.“The accused said they mistook the girl for a boy, and they were under the influence of alcohol. They were on a two-wheeler, and one of them hit the girl accidentally and it led to a heated exchange. Following it, the accused assaulted the girl and she got injured in the tussle,” said the police.“The girl was wearing jeans and a shirt. However, it does not provide them with any excuse in this case. They have been charged under section 354 of IPC (non-bailable) for outraging the modesty of a woman,” police added. During interrogation, the accused told the police that no others were involved in the clash. “As per the complaint of the girl, there were four men in the gang that assaulted her. However, the accused said there were only two and the other two had joined the fight to separate them. Their claim has to be verified after examining the CCTV footage,” the police said. The class XI student was assaulted while on her way to the bus stop after school. The girl sustained injuries on her face and ears in the attack, and she was admitted to a hospital. The accused fled from the spot after they realised that the complainant was a female.
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