2 men arrested after 10-year-old girl’s abduction and murder in Coimbatore

A 10-year-old girl was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, prompting widespread outrage and calls for justice. The girl, who went missing from her neighborhood near Sulur on the evening of May 21, was found dead the following day near the bund of Kannampalayam lake. Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the crime.

According to police officials, the girl was playing outside her home around 5 p.m. when a 33-year-old neighbor, identified as Karthik, lured her away on the pretext of buying her chocolates. Karthik, a resident of Pallapalayam, allegedly took her to a coconut farm near the lake, where he and his associate Mohanraj, 30, attempted to sexually assault her. When the girl resisted and screamed, police said the suspects strangled her and dumped her body in the water. Officials noted that the two men had even joined local search efforts after the girl was reported missing.

CCTV footage helped investigators identify the suspects. Karthik was arrested after police cornered him inside an apartment complex; he fractured his right arm and leg while trying to escape by jumping from the first floor and is receiving treatment at...