Russian tourist sexually assaulted in Tamil Nadu, 6 detained

Six people have been detained for the alleged sexual assault on a 21-year-old Russian tourist in Tiruvannamalai, police said on Wednesday. The woman was found unconscious in a service apartment on Monday and was taken to a hospital by one of the six men who are being questioned.

On examination, the doctors found injuries on her body, including bite marks, and alerted police.

The service apartment where the Russian stayed was sealed on Wednesday since it did not have permission for running a lodging facility, and the requisite security features like CCTV cameras, a senior district police official said.

When asked about the progress of the probe and the possibility of arrests, the official told PTI that the alleged victim has so far not recorded her statement. Investigation, he said, was on.

"We are questioning the detained men. So far we have not arrested anybody," he said.

Police suspect that the foreign national lost consciousness under the influence of some drug. The type of drug used was not immediately known.

The woman, who is here for about a week, regained consciousness following treatment at a hospital.

Tiruvannamalai is a popular temple town in the state about 190 km from Chennai.

The incident comes close on the heels of the alleged rape of an 11-year-old hearing-impaired girl by 17 people over the past seven months in an apartment complex in Chennai.