Mysore/Mysuru: Metagalli Police have arrested three persons for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a transgender woman near a cremation ground near Kumbarakoppal within their limits late on Thursday night.

According to the Police, the survivor (name withheld to protect identity) was returning home alone after repaying a loan to a friend on Apr. 16 when she was accosted by four youths aged between 20 and 30. The accused have been identified as Pavan, Sushil, Harsha and Muruli.

One of the men allegedly lifted her and forced her into a nearby autorickshaw despite her cries for help. Police said that inside the vehicle, two of them restrained her while another molested her. The accused then drove her to a deserted spot near a college on the Outer Ring Road, where she was subjected to further assault. During the ordeal, the woman managed to answer a phone call from a friend, apparently to alert others.

The men fled after noticing a passerby approaching on a motorcycle. The biker helped the woman reach home safely. She later informed her family and community members, sought treatment at K.R. Hospital and filed a complaint with Metagalli Police.

Based on the complaint, Police launched an investigation and arrested three of the accused, Pavan, Sushil and Harsha, within 24 hours. The fourth accused, Muruli, is absconding and efforts are being made to trace him.

A case has been registered by Inspector Vivekananda and Sub-Inspector Ramesh Karkikatti and further investigation is in progress, the Police said.