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According to the police, the incident took place on Monday night when the woman was waiting for a bus outside the Kilambakkam bus terminus
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. (PTI file photo)
An 18-year-old girl was allegedly abducted in an auto-rickshaw and “sexually assaulted” inside the moving vehicle near Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The incident has sparked a political row in the state, with the opposition BJP blaming the MK Stalin-led DMK government for the rising number of cases.
According to the police, the incident took place on Monday night when the woman was waiting for a bus outside the Kilambakkam bus terminus.
The woman had declined the offer to ride when the auto-rickshaw driver asked her. However, he dragged her inside despite her refusal and sexually assaulted her. Later, two more men got into the three-wheeler and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint, NDTV reported.
The woman was screaming as the auto-rickshaw sped through the roads. Hearing her cries, some passers-by alerted police and a team of cops started chasing the vehicle.
The assailants managed to drop off the survivor on the roadside and sped away. A bystander she met, who also happened to be a cop, helped her and the police team rescued her.
The girl is reportedly from another state and works in Salem.
Soon after the news was reported by several news platforms and newspapers, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai criticised the Stalin government over the incident.
Sexual assaults have become a “horrifying reality”
In a post on X, Annamalai stated that “sexual assaults” across Tamil Nadu have become a “horrifying reality”.
In his post, the BJP leader also mentioned that the girl was saved by a good Samaritan who called the police control room after hearing her cries for help.
An 18-year-old girl was abducted in an auto rickshaw outside the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus in Kilambakkam and was sexually assaulted. She was saved by a good samaritan who dialled the police control room after hearing the girl’s cry for help.Sexual assault across TN has… pic.twitter.com/Wa2AvsYybV
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 5, 2025
Highlighting the growing accessibility of drugs in the state, he pointed out that the number of arrests in NDPS cases has dramatically decreased in recent years, with only 1,122 arrests made between 2022 and 2024, compared to 9,632 arrests in 2021 alone.
Annamalai criticised the state’s handling of drug-related crimes, noting that while the sale of substances like Ganja and Methamphetamine is on the rise, arrests for these offences are steadily declining.
“Has the TN Govt deliberately become complacent to give drug peddlers a free run? How many more victims before authorities ensure safer streets for our sisters???,” Annamalai further asked.
