Three of the men, who are suspected to have raped a 12-year-old girl in Tripura on November 1 and were arrested by the city police on Wednesday, were working as security guards at an IT firm in Taramani.
The suspects were reportedly hired by a city-based security agency that failed to conduct background checks.
The men reportedly committed the crime against the child in the Chowng Kami area of Gomati district in Tripura when the victim was walking home with her friends. The rape case created a furore among local communities following which the Tripura police arrested two men while the other four, including key suspects Suraj Kumar Jamatia (22) and Hriday Mohan Jamatia (22), fled.
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While two men escaped to Delhi, Suraj and Hriday came to Chennai on November 12, accompanied by Karna Sadan Jamatia (26), and were staying with their friend, Mangal Dev Varma (29), a resident of Taramani.
“Mangal helped them enrol with Group-4 Security Services. The agency failed to check the antecedents of the men but gave them training and posted them for duty at a well-known IT firm in Taramani, where they continued to work till they were arrested on Wednesday,” Commissioner of Police S. George told presspersons on Thursday afternoon.
Mr. George was earlier alerted by Tripura police officers. A team led by deputy commissioner (CCB) S. Jayakumar was formed to locate the suspects. “Through specific intelligence inputs and cellphone locations we managed to pin down one of the suspects and soon two of his accomplices were also arrested. Mangal, who provided asylum for Suraj, Hriday and Karna, was also arrested,” said Mr. Jayakumar.
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The four men were handed over to a Tripura police team who reached Chennai on Thursday evening. The police are likely to initiate legal action against officials of Group-4 Security Services, police sources said.