Out To Buy Grocery, 10-Year-Old Girl Kidnapped, Killed In Coimbatore; Vijay Reacts

A 10-year-old girl, who had been missing since Thursday evening, was found dead with injuries near Kannampalayam lake in Sulur area of Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore on Friday. Police have arrested two accused, who had allegedly kidnapped the girl and later killed her.

Police said the girl had stepped out to buy grocery near her house in Sulur area when the accused allegedly abducted her and later killed her. The accused have been identified as Karthik and Mohan Raj.

Following the incident, the girl's parents and relatives staged a protest outside Sulur police station demanding justice.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay has said that such incidents will not be tolerated. "The horrific incident that occurred yesterday to a 10-year-old girl in Coimbatore causes immense grief and shock. Such inhuman and unforgivable criminal acts can never be tolerated in our society," he posted on X.

கோயம்புத்தூரில் நேற்று 10 வயது சிறுமிக்கு நிகழ்ந்த கொடூர சம்பவம் மிகுந்த வேதனையையும், அதிர்ச்சியையும் அளிக்கிறது. இத்தகைய மனிதநேயமற்ற மற்றும் மன்னிக்க முடியாத குற்றச் செயல்கள் நமது சமூகத்தில் ஒருபோதும் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட முடியாது.

தங்கள் உயிருக்குயிரான குழந்தையைப் பிரிந்து வாடும்…

— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) May 23, 2026

Vijay's reaction came after the family of the victim refused to take the body from the mortuary till they get an assurance from the chief minister. "We will not take the body untill we get any statement from the chief minster. We voted for change. Now, he is not even giving a statement or assurance. This shows that there will be no change after the new government as well," she told ANI.

A relative of the victim, Senthil Kumar, told ANI that the family is still unaware of how the incident unfolded. "We don't know what could have happened; we only received information late Friday evening. First, they said the girl was missing, but later they said she was found dead on the lake shore. Following that, hundreds of students and the public staged a roadblock protest seeking justice", Kumar said.

Tamil Nadu Director General of Police Sandeep Rai Rathore has also rushed to Coimbatore to review the investigation in the case.

As the case took a political turn with the DMK attacking the new TVK government over the law and order situation, TVK leaders visited the family at the hospital and assured justice.

Tamil Nadu Minister MS Sampath visited the ESI Hospital and met with the victim's family. After meeting the family, Sampath said that he had spoken to the chief minister on the case and investigation was on. "The accused will be given strictest punishment," he added.

The newly elected TVK MLA for the Sulur constituency, NM Sukumar, also met the family at the hospital and assured punishment to the culprits.

The opposition DMK has launched a scathing attack on the new Vijay led government saying that the crime graph has risen in the state in the last 12 days since the new government has taken over.

Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, in a social media post, said that 30 major incidents of crime within 12 days of the new government assuming office had cast serious doubts on the state's law and order situation.

"Within just 12 days of the new government assuming office, more than 30 major incidents - including sexual violence, ganja smuggling, rowdyism, unruly behaviour and excesses by ruling party members, and now the abduction and murder of a girl in [near] Coimbatore - have made headlines, casting serious doubts on the State's law and order," he said in the post.

Udhayanidhi Stalin also demanded that those responsible for the abduction and murder of the minor girl should be swiftly brought to justice and punished.

DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said that Vijay came to power promising women's safety, but crime is rising in the state. "CM Vijay came on the plank of women's safety. A 10-year-old girl has been picked up, kidnapped, and murdered. Where is women's safety?", he asked.

BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy, however, slammed the DMK over the incident saying that the previous MK Stalin led government left the state's law and order in shambles.

"A heinous crime has taken place in Coimbatore where a 10-year-old child was abducted, sexually assaulted, murdered, and dumped-a profound tragedy. Even as governments change, the fact that such scenes remain unchanged serves as a stark example of the extent to which the past DMK regime devastated Tamil Nadu before departing," he said in social media post.