Chennai, Nov 4 (NationPress) The police have detained three individuals linked to the heinous gang-rape of a postgraduate college student near Coimbatore International Airport, an incident that has caused widespread outrage throughout Tamil Nadu.

The suspects were captured after a thrilling chase that included an exchange of gunfire early Tuesday morning.

The victim, a 21-year-old from Madurai, is enrolled as a first-year postgraduate student at a private Arts college in Coimbatore. She was residing in a private hostel and had gone out on Sunday with her boyfriend, who lives in Ondipudur.

The couple parked their car in Prithvivan Nagar, situated behind the airport, where they were talking when the tragic event occurred around 11 p.m.

Three unidentified men approached them, demanding they exit the car. When the couple attempted to escape, the men shattered the window and assaulted the boyfriend with a sickle, rendering him unconscious.

The assailants then forcefully dragged the frightened student into a nearby overgrown area at knifepoint and took turns abusing her. When her boyfriend regained consciousness around 2 a.m., he contacted the emergency helpline to alert the police.

A swift search operation was initiated, resulting in the victim being located about a kilometer away in a severely traumatized condition.

The police rescued her and transported her to a private hospital, while her boyfriend received treatment at Coimbatore Government Hospital.

A special team, led by Peelamedu Police, formed seven squads to pursue the perpetrators using CCTV footage from the vicinity.

Following a tip-off, law enforcement found the suspects—identified as Guna, Satheesh Karuppasamy, and Karthik Kaleeswaran—hiding near Pattatharasi Amman Temple in Thudiyalur. When approached, they allegedly attacked the police with sickles, injuring Constable Chandrasekar on his left arm. In response, Inspectors Arjun (Peelamedu) and Gnanasekaran (Saravanampatti) returned fire, wounding the suspects in their legs.

All three were subdued and taken to Coimbatore Government Hospital under strict security.

Investigations revealed that the trio, originally from Sivaganga district, had been residing in Irukur while working as daily wage laborers. Police confirmed that Karuppasamy and Kaleeswaran are siblings, and all three have prior criminal records involving murder, assault, and robbery.

Further investigations are ongoing.