Former Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) functionary A Sivaraman, who was arrested for allegedly raping a minor student at a fake NCC camp, died at a hospital in Tamil Nadu's Salem, officials said on Friday. The 30-year-old accused was caught by cops as he was trying to flee and had consumed rat poison.
Sivaraman was arrested on August 18, during which he attempted to escape, resulting in a leg fracture. Following his arrest, he was admitted to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.
According to a senior police official, Sivaraman confessed to the police that he had ingested poison while evading capture.
After his initial treatment, Sivaraman was transferred to the government hospital for specialised care, including dialysis. Despite the medical team's efforts, Sivaraman succumbed to the poison in the early hours of Friday.
Authorities also revealed that Sivaraman had previously consumed poison last month, reportedly due to family issues, and had been treated at a private hospital for eight to nine days.
A 12-year-old girl student was allegedly sexually assaulted by Sivaraman at the fake National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp at Bargur in Krishnagiri district.
Eleven people, including school authorities and Sivaraman’s accomplices have been arrested in the case so far.
In a separate incident, Sivaraman's father died on Thursday night after falling from his motorbike in Kaveripattinam. Senior officials have stated that it appears to be a case of self-fall.
Investigations into both the deaths are underway.
