Manhunt follows rape attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 February 1999, 22:52 GMT]
Two young men were remanded till March 5 by the Mannar district magistrate today, on charges of participating in the gang rape of a young girl, sources said.

An eighteen year old girl of Vairavar Kovil area in the Mannar town had been kidnapped by four young men when she went to the temple to see the Sivarathiri festival on February 14.

According to the complaint she had made to Mannar hospital she had been taken to the New Bright Tution Centre in the Iron Theatre area in the town itself, and had been gang raped, after her hands and legs were tied and a piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth.

The victim had said in her complaint to the Police that the suspects had tried to strangle her and she had passed out and she did not know what had happened.

The Police recorded her statement after the DMO of Mannar made a complaint about attack.

Gayas Feldano, the acting magistrate of Mannar had ordered the police to remand a young man suspected of involvement, whom they had arrested on February 20.

Another suspect who was arrested by the Police was produced before the Mannar magistate today. The magistrate ordered the Police to remand him until March 5.

He also ordered the Police to take immediate action to arrest 3 more suspects who were named by the other two and produce them before the courts. The Police told the courts today that the parents of the 3 suspects said that they had been missing from home for the past week.

The magistrate gave instructions to the OIC of the Travel Pass Issuing Office in Mannar not to issue travel documents to the absconding 3 suspects.

He also appealed to the public to come forward with any information concerning the suspects and the incident.