Overview
- Salem city police confirmed late Friday that they arrested 40-year-old M. Manikandan and produced him before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody.
- Officers seized the accused’s mobile phone and say they recovered three obscene videos plus several screen recordings that are now being forensically examined.
- A viral audio clip features the complainant saying she was sexually assaulted, recorded without consent and threatened with release of the footage, and she says she previously deleted about 50 obscene clips from his device.
- Investigators say the accused, a local grocery owner, befriended neighbourhood women, used private video calls to obtain intimate recordings and are now trying to identify other survivors from electronic evidence.
- The case has provoked political claims about links to the ruling TVK that the party denies and prompted calls from opposition leaders for a thorough, independent investigation as the state presses new measures on women’s safety.