The police are yet to begin a formal investigations into the complaint filed by a 40-year-old Kerala woman, alleging that she was tortured and raped by a gang in Palani, Tamil Nadu. The Kannur police who are handling the complaint told TNM that they have recorded statements of the woman and her husband, seen the woman's medical certificate, and registered a First Information Report (FIR) under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) - where a woman is raped by one or more in a group of persons acting in furtherance of their common intention.
However, since the crime happened in Tamil Nadu, it is the Palani police who will have to investigate the case, say Kannur police. Speaking to TNM, Kannur Superintendent of Police Pratheesh Kumar IPS added that the woman and her husband had initially sent an email to the Tamil Nadu DGP, which was then forwarded to the Kerala police. “Since the incident took place in Palani in Tamil Nadu, we will be transferring the FIR to the Palani Deputy Superintendent of Police.”
“As the incident took place in Palani, we do not have the jurisdiction to investigate the case. We will be transferring the case to the Tamil Nadu police,” Pratheesh Kumar told TNM. Kannur police told TNM that Palani police officials have not yet reached Kannur to conduct the investigation.
“We have started preliminary investigations based on a WhatsApp petition we received from a man who identified himself as the husband of woman. However, we are waiting for the Kerala police to officially transfer the case to us to begin investigation,” Palani DySP Siva IPS told TNM. He added that the Tamil Nadu police had not yet met the complainants nor recorded their statements.
According to reports, the incident happened on June 20. The woman and her husband are Tamil Nadu natives, but were living in Kerala's Kannur district for job purposes. According to their complaint, they were in Palani to visit the Lord Muruga shrine, and when the husband had gone outside to buy food, the woman was forcibly taken to a lodge and raped by a yet-to-be-identified gang, including the lodge manager.
The couple's complaint also stated that the woman was brutally tortured. The woman is under treatment at the Government Medical College hospital in Pariyaram. The police say that have taken her statement before registering the FIR.