Coimbatore, March 7 (IANS) A court here on Saturday sentenced three men to life imprisonment for the gang rape of a 20-year-old college student near the Coimbatore International Airport in November 2025.

The judgment was delivered by Mahila Court (in-charge) Judge V. Sundararaj, who found the accused guilty under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The convicted persons have been identified as T. Karuppasamy alias Satheesh (30), his brother T. Kaleeswaran alias Karthik (21), both natives of Singampunari in Sivaganga district, and their distant relative M. Guna alias Thavasi (20) from Madurai district.

The court awarded life imprisonment to all three under Section 70(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with gang rape.

The provision prescribes rigorous imprisonment for not less than 20 years, which may extend to imprisonment for the remainder of the convict’s natural life, along with a fine. Apart from this charge, the court also convicted the trio under seven different sections of the BNS related to assault, criminal intimidation and other associated offences.

The accused were produced before the court around 1.30 p.m. on Saturday, following which the judge pronounced them guilty and delivered the sentence.

According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on the intervening night of November 2 and 3, 2025.

The survivor, a 20-year-old college student, was sitting inside a car with her 25-year-old boyfriend in an open area along a mud road connecting Brindhavan Nagar and SIHS Colony, located near the Coimbatore International Airport.

The chargesheet stated that the three accused approached the couple, assaulted the young man and then forcibly dragged the woman to a deserted area nearby. They subsequently gang-raped her before fleeing the scene. Following the incident, the survivor’s boyfriend lodged a complaint with the Peelamedu police station, leading to the arrest of the accused within a short period.

The case triggered widespread outrage in the region and drew strong demands for swift justice.

The investigation was carried out by Inspector S. Latha with assistance from Inspector R. Arjunkumar, the Station House Officer of Peelamedu police station.

Public Prosecutor B. Jisha, who represented the State in the case, said the court also directed the Tamil Nadu government to provide compensation to the victims.

The survivor will receive Rs 7 lakh as compensation, while her boyfriend, who was assaulted during the attack and filed the complaint, will be given Rs 2 lakh.

–IANS

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