Days after a shocking incident of gang rape in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu has come to light, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has issued a major order that the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch - Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) for further probe. Two DMK functionaries and three school students were among the eight people who got arrested in the case, which has reminisced the horrible Pollachi gang rape case. 

MK Stalin has announced his order of transferring the case to CB-CID in the assembly session held on Wednesday - March 23. Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has raised the issue in the assembly for which his successor has responded. MK Stalin said, "Four people have been arrested and jailed within 24 hours in connection with the Virudhunagar incident and further four people are being lodged at the juvenile home." 

He further said, "The case has been transferred to CB-CID. Superintendent of Police Mutharasi has been appointed as a special officer. A charge sheet will be filed within 60 days and the case will be taken to a separate court and the trial will be intensified." In yet another major order, MK Stalin stated that Tamil Nadu's Director-General of Police (DGP) has been directed to take the Virudhunagar incident as a model case and take action. 

He said, "The probe of the case will be directly monitored by the DGP and look at how we get the perpetrators punished, unlike the Pollachi gang rape case. This case will be a model for India." A 22-year-old Dalit woman in Virudhunagar was gang-raped by the apprehended assailants for seven months. What has started as a friendship has later turned out to be a trap against her as she was filmed, threatened, and raped by a group of men and what is more shocking is the accused include three school students.

27-year-old Hariharan alias Saravanan had befriended the woman over social media and they become friends. Later, Hariharan and the woman had a physical relationship and it was recorded by the former. Hariharan's friends had watched the video and acquired the details of the woman from him. Later, they had called her and forced her to have sex with her by threatening that they will leak the video. It has been reported that they had raped her multiple times between August 2021 and March 2022. 

The victim has then approached the women's helpline and reported about the horrific incident that she had been facing. A police official said that the woman had contacted helpline number 181 and reported the incident. The case was then taken by the Virudhunagar Rural police. The police had revealed a shocking event where the affected woman had reached out to her neighbour, 37-year-old Madaswamy to help her get out of the situation. However, Madaswamy also had used the video and raped her. 

The woman has moved her complaint to the police on March 20 - Sunday and based on her complaint, an FIR was filed against the eight people under sections 376(2)(n) - rape, 354(c) - voyeurism, 354(d) - stalking of the Indian Penal Code and several sections of Prevention of Atrocities (SC/ST) Act. The eight arrested persons are Hariharan, Madaswamy, Praveen (22), Junaith Ahmed (27), an 18-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy, and two 17-year-old boys. 

These minors are studying Classes 10, 11, and 12 and all the accused belong to Virudhunagar. Juniath Ahmed and Hariharan, the prime accused, are DMK's youth wing functionaries in the district. Hariharan, Madaswamy, Junaith Ahmed, and Praveen were produced before the Special Court and remanded in judicial custody whereas the four minor boys were produced before a magistrate and sent to a juvenile home.