A 2019 sexual assault racket in Pollachi shocked India with its scale and brutality.
Nine men sentenced to life in 2025 highlight systemic failures and resilience.
Between 2016 and 2018, a gang of nine men in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, systematically lured over 200 women via fake social media profiles, sexually assaulted them, and blackmailed them with recorded footage. Operating in isolated locations like a farmhouse near Aanamalai, they targeted students, teachers, and doctors, extorting money or further assaults. The case surfaced in February 2019 when a 19-year-old college student reported her assault to the Pollachi East Police after being attacked in a car on Dharapuram Road. Her brother, confronting the gang, uncovered videos of other survivors on the perpetrators’ phones.
The scandal erupted weeks before the 2019 elections, sparking political outrage. Two accused, K. Arulanandham and A. Nagaraj, were AIADMK functionaries, prompting allegations of a cover-up by the ruling party. Opposition parties like DMK demanded a thorough probe, while privacy violations—such as the Tamil Nadu Home Department revealing the survivor’s identity—drew widespread criticism. The case was transferred to the CBI in April 2019 amid public protests, with investigations uncovering a chilling pattern of abuse involving over 400 pieces of electronic evidence.
On May 13, 2025, the Coimbatore Mahila Court sentenced all nine men—N. Sabarirajan, K. Thirunavukkarasu, M. Sathish, T. Vasanthakumar, R. Manivannan, P. Babu, T. Haronimus Paul, K. Arulanantham, and M. Arunkumar—to life imprisonment for gang rape, repeated rape, and criminal conspiracy. The court awarded ₹85 lakh in compensation to eight survivors. Public relief was palpable, with many calling the verdict a step toward justice after years of trauma.
Despite the verdict, the case exposed systemic failures, from police lapses to societal stigma, with only eight of 200+ survivors testifying. It remains a stark reminder of the need for institutional reform to protect women in India.
