Coimbatore, May 23 (IANS) The investigation into the shocking abduction and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Coimbatore gathered pace on Saturday after the second accused, Mohanraj, was produced before the Sulur Judicial Magistrate Court and remanded to judicial custody (JC) till May 27.

Police officials said investigations are continuing to uncover further details surrounding the crime that has triggered widespread outrage across the region.

Police had earlier arrested two men — Karthik (33), a native of Nagapattinam currently residing at Pallapalayam near Coimbatore, and his associate Mohanraj — in connection with the case.

Inspector General of Police (West Zone) R.V. Ramya Bharathi confirmed the arrests and said special teams are continuing to probe every aspect of the incident.

According to police sources, the accused were known to the victim’s family and allegedly lured the child away from her neighbourhood on Thursday evening on the pretext of buying chocolates.

Investigators later traced the suspects using footage collected from surveillance cameras installed in the area. The girl’s body was subsequently recovered from the Kannampalayam tank near Coimbatore on Friday, sending shockwaves across the district.

Police also said Karthik sustained fractures to his leg and hand while allegedly attempting to escape from custody during the course of the investigation. Officials are verifying all circumstances surrounding the incident while gathering additional evidence.

The brutal murder triggered anger among local residents, leading to a prolonged road blockade outside the Sulur police station on Tiruchi Road.

The protest, which began around 9 p.m. on Friday, continued until nearly 5 a.m. on Saturday. Traffic along the busy arterial stretch had to be diverted through alternate routes as authorities worked to restore normalcy.

Senior police officials, including IG R.V. Ramya Bharathi, Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Saminathan and Coimbatore Rural Superintendent of Police Allatipalli Pavan Kumar Reddy, camped at Sulur overnight and supervised the investigation being carried out by special teams led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Karikal Pari Shankar.

Around 300 police personnel were deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

TVK’s Sulur MLA N.M. Sukumar, who visited the protest site late on Friday night, assured agitated residents that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Following the arrests, the protest was withdrawn, although grief and anger continue to prevail in the locality.

–IANS

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