Pollachi sexual abuse case: All nine accused held guilty, sentenced to life

The verdict in the 2019 Pollachi sexual abuse case in Tamil Nadu was delivered on Tuesday, with the Mahila Special Court in Coimbatore convicting all nine accused and sentencing them to life imprisonment. The court also granted the compensation sought for the victims by the prosecution, acknowledging the trauma they had undergone.
The infamous 2019 case involved a gang of men who lured women into false friendships before sexually abusing them and then resorting to blackmail.

Justice R Nandhini Devi, presiding over the Mahila Court, held the nine accused—Thirunavukarasu, Sabareesan, Vasantha Kumar, Satish, Manivannan, Haranpaul, Babu, Arulanantham, and Arun Kumar—guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code.

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The sentences awarded by the court varied in severity based on the charges proved against each accused.
Thirunavukarasu and Manivannan received the harshest punishments, with five life sentences each. Sabarirajan was awarded four life terms, Satish three, and Haran Paul also three. Vasanta Kumar received two life sentences, while Babu, Arulanantham, and Arun Kumar were each given one life term.

Multiple life sentences may run consecutively or concurrently, depending on the court’s direction. The sentences effectively ensure prolonged incarceration, with the court clearly signalling that the convicts are unfit to re-enter society.

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Over 200 documents and 400 items of electronic evidence, including forensic-validated videos of the assaults, were presented during the trial.
“The survivors’ testimonies, supported by digital proof, were pivotal. No witnesses turned hostile, and the Witness Protection Act ensured their identities and safety,” said the public prosecutor.

The case first came to light when a survivor filed a theft complaint, and the probe uncovered a far more sinister pattern of organised sexual abuse and exploitation, involving at least eight women, including a college student. The survivors were sexually assaulted, filmed, and blackmailed for sexual favours and money between 2016 and 2018.
The convicts filmed their acts of sexual assault and used the footage to coerce victims into continued exploitation by threatening to leak their videos to their families and communities if they refused to comply.
The case was initially probed by the Pollachi Police but was transferred to the Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) and later to the CBI.

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Outrage erupted after videos of the assaults surfaced online, sparking mass protests and political backlash against the then-ruling AIADMK.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin reacted to the verdict on social media platform X, declaring that justice had finally been served. In a sharp attack on the AIADMK, he said, “Justice has been served for the atrocities committed by criminals, including the evil AIADMK office bearer.”