On the evening of May 22, 2026, unusual activity occurred on the banks of Kannampalayam Tank in Sulur, a bustling suburb of Coimbatore district. Police personnel had cordoned off the northern dam of the silent tank, a relic of the Noyyal river system that was once a favorite of Coimbatore bird lovers.
A bush in a private land adjacent to the dam was cordoned off and entry to the dam was prohibited. Residents soon discovered the reason – the police had found the body of a girl who had gone missing from nearby Pallapalayam.
main road blocked
After the search operation for the missing 10-year-old girl ended on the evening of 21 May, word soon spread that she had been sexually assaulted. Neighbors and residents of Pallapalayam, who had been searching for him for almost a day, soon took over the arterial Tiruchi Road in front of Sulur Police Station in protest, leading to traffic halt from 9 pm onwards, with vehicles being diverted to alternative routes as the crowd increased over time.
Residents and members of the public, and even social media influencers associated with some political organisations, raised slogans demanding “justice for the murdered girl” and the arrest of the culprits. Some people close to the family accused the police of giving them a false promise earlier in the day that the girl was safe. Some people in the angry crowd demanded that the police hand over the culprits to them for “immediate justice”.
Incidentally, Allathipalli Pawan Kumar Reddy had taken charge as Superintendent of Police of Coimbatore district just hours before the girl’s body was found. Therefore, senior officials including Inspector General of Police (West Zone) RV Ramya Bharathi and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Coimbatore Range) P. Saminathan stepped in to manage the situation.
However, the police issued an official notice to the media in the early hours of 23 May that two persons from Pallapalayam – K. Karthi and R. Mohan – was in their custody for suspected involvement in the crime, the crowd refused to disperse. Ms Bharti sat on the road and interacted with protesting family members and others, who evacuated the place around 5 a.m. By morning, photographs of Karthi, 35, and Mohan, 31, began circulating on social media.
The accused is part of the search team
Karthi, who was part of the search team, turned out to be the prime accused when surveillance camera visuals showed him taking the girl on a two-wheeler the same evening she went missing. Police investigation revealed that Karthi, a loader by profession, knew the family of the deceased as he lived in the same neighbourhood.
His friend and colleague Mohan, who lived with his sister in the same area, also knew the girl’s family.
Police said Karthi went to the girl’s house around 5 pm on May 21 and lured her with the promise of buying chocolates. He took her to Kannampalayam Tank on his motorcycle, where he sexually assaulted her in a secluded area adjacent to the dam. He then killed the girl and returned to the neighbourhood, where he joined the search for the girl after her father returned from work at around 7 pm.
Ms Bharti told reporters that the police took swift action after receiving the complaint around 8.30 pm on May 21. Sulur police registered a case of missing girl around 10 pm; They formed five special teams under the leadership of Deputy Superintendent of Police Karikal Pari Shankar to trace the girl. Police examined footage from around 250 cameras to trace the kidnapper.
Police sources said Karthi traveled about 2.5 km to the crime scene after picking up the victim from her house on a two-wheeler. He was eventually found hiding on the first floor of an apartment in Kannampalayam on 22 May. According to the police, when he was surrounded, he jumped from the building and suffered fractures in his right hand and right leg. While interrogating him, the police also came to know about the involvement of Karthi’s friend and associate Mohan, a painter.
The accused were arrested under the Indian Judicial Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act on charges of kidnapping, sexual assault, murder and other crimes.
Autopsy confirmed sexual assault
Although sexual assault was suspected from the beginning, the police acted quickly and informed the media only after the initial post-mortem findings confirmed it. Sources associated with the investigation said that Mohan initially distracted the police by saying that he had seen the girl on a scooter with a stranger on the evening of May 21. The police said that he definitely had knowledge of the crime, about which he was maintaining silence, but that his role in the crime would be investigated.
Investigation revealed that the girl’s family had moved to a rented house in the neighborhood in Pallapalayam about a month before the crime. The family earlier lived near Podanur. According to a relative of the girl, the family moved to Pallapalayam because it is close to the girl’s father’s workplace.
“The family plans to take admission in a school in the area for the upcoming academic year,” a neighbor said.
The case also took several turns when videos of some people started circulating on social media, alleging that the victim’s mother was drunk and unconscious on the evening of May 21. Speaking to media persons on May 24, the girl’s mother claimed that she had become unconscious after drinking a soft drink, which her husband had mixed with alcohol without her knowledge. She alleged that she was not allowed to see her daughter’s body after the post-mortem as her husband had taken it to his native place in Salem. She also denied that she was acquainted with Karthi.
Meanwhile, her husband rejected her allegations and claimed that he does not drink alcohol, denying that he had mixed it in soft drinks.
No security: Kannampalayam tank near Sulur. A 10-year-old girl was found dead in the bushes adjacent to the northern dam of the tank. This tank is a part of the Noyyal river system which was once a favorite of bird lovers in Coimbatore. | Photo Courtesy: S Shiva Saravanan
Shock wave across the state
The girl’s abduction, sexual assault and murder sent shock waves across Tamil Nadu, as it came soon after Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) came to power with C. Joseph Vijay as Chief Minister. This heinous crime also became a black spot in the initial days of the TVK government as Mr Vijay had strongly targeted the previous DMK government during his election campaign over crimes against women and children.
Mr Vijay, who had sent Director General of Police Sandeep Rai Rathore and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Maheshwar Dayal to Coimbatore after the crime, said the murder had caused immense pain and shock.
“Such inhuman and unforgivable criminal acts can never be accepted in our society. I share the grief of the family and relatives of the young girl who are suffering the loss of their beloved child,” the Chief Minister said. He said that the charge sheet will be filed as soon as possible after a prompt and thorough investigation.
Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin alleged that 30 major incidents of crime, including the murder of a girl, were reported within 12 days of Mr Vijay taking charge, raising serious doubts over the law and order situation in the state. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami accused the government of not taking prompt action after receiving the complaint about the girl’s disappearance.
Backward Classes Welfare Minister V. Sampath Kumar, who is from Coimbatore, said the government was committed to ensuring maximum punishment for the accused.
Controversy in press conference
Despite the arrest of the accused within 24 hours, the IG, DIG and SP came into controversy when they were caught on camera having a light moment before the press conference. Officials had asked photojournalists who had already arrived for the briefing to keep their cameras on standby and not in record mode. However, silent videos of officers’ lighter moments were broadcast by some television channels and news agencies.
The authorities were widely criticized, with social media users accusing them of being insensitive and lacking empathy.
Brushing aside the controversy, Ms Bharti said the police acted swiftly and arrested the culprits. he told The Hindu The investigation team was committed to file a chargesheet within 30 days with foolproof evidence to ensure maximum punishment. On May 27, the Collector invoked sections of the Goonda Act against both the accused.
The killing rekindled security concerns over the tanks in the Noyyal river system in Coimbatore, which remain largely deserted without patrolling and monitoring. A 41-year-old man was murdered four days before the girl’s murder in Achankulam, another big tank in Muthugounden Pudur.
The two recent murders have highlighted the fact that anti-social elements are misusing these urban wetlands for crimes, posing a threat to the peace and tranquility in the surrounding areas. After the murder of the girl, the district police has increased patrolling at such places.
Inspector General of Police (West Zone) RV Ramya Bharti said the investigation team is committed to filing a chargesheet within 30 days with solid evidence to ensure maximum punishment. | Photo Courtesy: S Shiva Saravanan
