A 34-year-old man has been taken into custody by the police in connection with the rape of a woman, allegedly on the railway track after she jumped out of the ladies compartment of the Ernakulam-Shoranur passenger train on Tuesday.
The police are interrogating Govindaswamy, a native of Cuddalore. He is physically challenged. The police said he had attempted similar offences earlier.
Thrissur Superintendent of Police M.P. Dinesh said the suspect was being interrogated.
The 23-year-old woman was found in unconscious on the track near the Vallathole Nagar railway station, near Cheruthuruthy, with serious head injuries on Tuesday night.
Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital superintendent K. Mohanan said the woman was in coma when she was brought to the hospital. “She had suffered severe head injuries and was put on ventilator support. Her condition continues to be serious.”
According to the police, the woman was injured after she jumped from the running train to escape the rape attempt. However, the man too jumped from the train and raped her on the track. It was reported that the compartment was empty after the train left the Thrissur station.
According to railway sources, the guard informed the Railway Police that a woman had fallen from the train following which a search was launched. The woman was found lying in a pool of blood.
There were, however, conflicting versions about the incident. While some reports claimed that the woman jumped from the train to escape from the molester, others maintained that he pushed her out of the train.
