Ex-DMK MLA held for minor’s ‘rape,murder’

However,just a few days after reaching here,the victim called her parents and told them that she did not wish to continue working at Rajkumar’s residence. The next day,on June 29,her father received another call informing him that his daughter was not keeping well and has been admitted to a private hospital in Perambalur.

Worried parents who rushed to Perambalur shifted her to another private hospital and finally to the Government Medical College Hospital in Theni on July 4. But the girl died at the hospital two days later not responding to treatments.

When her body was taken to their home in Kerala,a few relatives and activists noticed injuries on her body leading to suspicion that she was harassed at her employer’s house. The parents filed a complaint with the police in Kerala who initiated a second autopsy there and intimated their counterparts in Perambalur. Reports from Kerala allege that the girl was raped.

As the case gathered heat,local police in Perambalur went to Rajkumar’s house on Thursday evening but could not find him. Later in the night,Rajkumar surrendered before the police. After questioning him overnight,the police on Friday morning charged him under sections dealing with rape (IPC section 376) and murder (IPC section 302). His associates Anbarasan and Mahendran who helped bring the victim down to Perambalur were also arrested under charges of kidnapping,while the police is on the lookout for three more,including the person who acted as broker in the deal.

The arrested persons were sent to 15 days in custody by a local court in Perambalur.

The case is yet another embarrassment for the DMK,coming at a time when the leaders and cadres of the party are facing several criminal charges after the regime change in the state.