On the day when a 20-year-old student was gang-raped in Coimbatore, a young woman working in the city was taken by a man to a deserted place near Tamil Nadu – Kerala border, where he and his friend extorted cash and jewellery from her.
The youth befriended the woman through a dating app and committed the crime with his friend, who is the son of a police officer.
The Race Course police registered a case against the duo, namely Tharun, 28, of Ramanathapuram in the city and his friend Dhanush, who is the son of a police officer.
As per the complaint lodged by the 25-year-old woman on November 3, she got introduced to Tharun through a dating app four days before the incident. The youth picked her from her hostel in the city in his SUV around 7 p.m. on November 2, as he wanted to meet her in person. The accused took her to a deserted place near K.G. Chavadi, where Dhanush joined them.
The complainant alleged that the two accused intimidated her and made her transfer ₹90,000 from her bank account via UPI payment app. They also extorted a one-sovereign chain, one-sovereign ring and one-sovereign bracelet.
The woman alleged that she was dropped on Tiruchi Road near Singanallur tank around 11 p.m. The woman told Tharun that she could not go to her hostel since it was late. The youth booked a room in a five-star hotel on Avinashi Road using her phone, following which she went to the hotel in a taxi.
As per the complaint, the woman contacted her sister over phone after reaching the hotel and narrated the ordeal. The woman’s sister and her friends reached the hotel the next morning and took her to the Race Course police station, where a complaint was lodged.
City Police Commissioner A. Saravana Sundar said the accused have been booked for extortion and the police were on the lookout for them.
Published – November 05, 2025 08:31 pm IST
