Chennai: The Coimbatore Collector has ordered all the four accused in the Pollachi assault and blackmail case to be detained under the Goondas Act.
The four accused, Thirunavukarasu, Sathish, Sabarirajan and Vasanthakumar, all in their 20s, are in police custody and would be detained under the Goondas Act.
More than 50 women across the State were allegedly lured and sexually harassed by the four-member gang. The matter came to light after the four were arrested in February for allegedly blackmailing and sexually harassing a 19-year-old girl.
The remand of the accused was extended Monday after two weeks in custody and their mobile phones had images of around 50 women, said a police officer. They lured women with fake female accounts on Facebook. In most cases, they struck a conversation with the victims mostly with sexual orientation. After trapping the women, they harassed them in moving vehicles, hotels and even a farmhouse near Anamalai forest, said a report.
Most victims refused to file complaints fearing backlash from their families. But at least four victims informally confessed to the police about how they were trapped and this was corroborated by the confessions of the accused.
The accused also made videos of their escapades and uploaded them.