A 38-year-old woman from a village near Koradacheri in Tiruvarur district lost her life on Saturday after she was allegedly pushed into the Vennar River while resisting a sexual assault.

The woman had gone to tend to her goats near the riverbank when two men from Thiruvidaivasal village confronted her and allegedly attempted to molest her. As she fought back, they reportedly forced her into the water.

Hearing her screams, nearby villagers rushed to the scene and found her unconscious, her clothes disturbed, and the attackers missing. She was immediately taken to a hospital, but doctors declared her brought dead.

Following a complaint from her family, Koradacheri police registered a case under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. An autopsy was carried out at the Government Tiruvarur Medical College Hospital.

The accused, Murugan (48) and Ajith Kumar (30), were arrested after they confessed to the crime. They have been remanded to judicial custody and lodged at Pudukkottai District Jail.

The investigation is ongoing, with police piecing together the sequence of events leading to the brutal crime.