Five held for allegedly chasing woman at midnight in Kochi

The Muvattupuzha police have arrested five youths for allegedly attacking and attempting to outrage the modesty of a woman late on Sunday night.

The arrested are Ajith Suku, 19, Advaith Suni, 20, Tomy Shaji, 19, Arjun Sanil, 20, and Ashwin Raghu, 20, all from Marady near Muvattupuzha. They were reportedly in an inebriated state.

According to the police, the woman was attacked while walking towards the Muvattupuzha KSRTC bus stand to catch a bus home. The youths who came by two motorcycles allegedly followed her and allegedly approached her with malicious intent.

The police said though the woman attempted to flee, the accused tried to knock her down using their bikes. She managed to escape by boarding a passing tipper lorry with the help of a motorcyclist who stopped when he saw her plight. The man also boarded the lorry as his bike suddenly failed to start. The accused then allegedly chased the lorry for nearly 15 km. Aboard the vehicle, the woman called the Muvattupuzha police who in turn alerted the night patrol teams. They abandoned the pursuit after noticing a police jeep in the area.

The accused were arrested by an investigation team led by Muvattupuzha Inspector Anil George. The accused were produced before the court and remanded.