Five labourers allegedly involved in the rape of a college student near Mysore earlier this week have been arrested, Karnataka director-general and inspector-general of police Praveen Sood said on Saturday.

The five, who frequented Mysore, are from the “labour class” engaged in jobs such as wiring, carpentry and driving, Sood said, adding that they hailed from Tirupur in Tamil Nadu.

“According to preliminary interrogation, one of them is a juvenile — a 17-year-old — subject to confirmation,” he said. The sixth suspect is absconding.

They accosted the college student and her male friend near the Chamundi foothills on the outskirts of Mysore on August 24 and tried to rob them. When they did not succeed, they allegedly assaulted him and raped her, police sources said.

“It’s a case of robbery first,” Sood said, adding that the culprits also demanded Rs 3 lakh. However, he said there was no blackmail angle to the incident so far.

Sood said the accused persons used to come to Mysore for some work at Bandipalya APMC yard, a wholesale vegetable market, from the neighbouring state. “Before going back (home to Tamil Nadu), they had the habit of drinking (alcohol) and partying. They were there on that day (August 24). What happened thereafter is known to all,” Sood said.