A recent incident of sexual assault that happened at Anna University in Chennai has sent shockwaves across the community, with the students demanding justice and enhanced safety measures at the campus. The police have arrested the accused identified as Gnansekaran, though as investigations are underway, shocking facts continue to emerge by the day.
As per the reports, the arrest of the accused has uncovered links to several crimes involving him like robbery, abduction, and the use of stolen funds to acquire assets like a huge farmhouse near Chennai. The accused is a serial offender and has been involved in several criminal cases like theft and sexual assault, as revealed by the police.
ஞானசேகரனின் பண்ணை வீடு.!#Gnanasekaran #FarmHouse #Accused #AbuseCase #NewsTamil #Newstamil24x7 pic.twitter.com/pxi4pNRE25
— News Tamil 24×7 (@NewsTamilTV24x7) January 2, 2025
The police have implicated him in over 20 cases, including a high-profile robbery and kidnapping in 2018. During the investigation, the police revealed that the accused in the past along with his brother Suresh, two wives, and mother, kidnapped a businessman in Madurantakam near Kanchipuram. The victim was then looted for jewels and cash worth Rs 25 lakh. The family members of Gnansekaran then who were involved in the crime were arrested after which the police launched an investigation. After the current case, the police revealed a pattern of criminal behaviour stretching past several years.
As reported by Commune Mag, the accused targeted unoccupied homes in prosperous areas like Mylapore, ECR, and Abhiramapuram between 7 and 9 pm. The areas facing busy traffic helped him conceal his actions, avoid leaving traces and mislead the security authorities if any. He would also make use of chilli powder to flee the dogs. However, he was caught by the police in one such incident where he mistakenly used chocolate drink mix instead of chili powder resulting in his capture by sniffer dogs.
37-year-old Gnanasekaran, a biriyani vendor from Kotturpuram was arrested in December after he sexually assaulted a second-year student at Anna University. The Kotturpuram police have registered a case under BNSS Section 64 and are continuing their investigation.
In the midst, it has come to the fore that the accused is a history-sheeter and that he was wanted by the police in several cases. He has looted 37 and 45 sovereigns of gold jewellery in two separate incidents in the past from the city’s Abhiramapuram locality. Using the money looted from the crimes, he also purchased a 3.5 farmhouse in Thandaripet, Chengalpattu district, near Madhuranthakam.
#JustNow || கொள்ளை அடித்த பணத்தில் 3.5 ஏக்கரில் பண்ணை வீடு வாங்கிய ஞானசேகரன்..
— Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian (Modi ka Pariwar) (@BS_Prasad) January 2, 2025
என்னடா இது?? இவன் கிரைம் லிஸ்ட்டு கூடிக்கிட்டே போகுது… pic.twitter.com/2h1USzF4ts
As per the reports, the 37-year-old accused jumped onto the university campus on Monday, 23rd December evening and sexually assaulted the second-year student at around 8 pm. The accused executed the assault behind one of the university buildings after brutally bashing a fourth-year male student who had accompanied the girl at that time.
The police investigating the case revealed that the accused initially threatened the male student to leave the spot. However, later he thrashed him and then sexually assaulted the girl. As per the police officials, the accused operated a biryani stall near the university and was well aware of the campus areas. After being arrested, the accused Gagansekaran gave a confessional statement agreeing to the accusations.
The police meanwhile also stated that the accused had threatened the victim before he assaulted her. “Gnanasekaran approached the students and threatened them by saying he had taken their video. He then threatened the male friend of the victim to leave. The victim was assaulted thereafter. We have recovered his cell phone with evidence of his recorded crime. We are now examining the device to find if there were more such crimes he committed and deleted evidence,” the police said.
“He also threatened the survivor by taking her phone number, saying she must meet him whenever he called her,” the official added. The woman victim was also filmed without her consent, as per her complaint.
The police are probing into the case as it is probing the accused’s involvement in any other assault cases if any.
