The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Saturday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the allegations of 'sexual abuse and harassment' made by businesswoman A Jayalakshmi against several police officials.

A division bench of the high court comprising Justice N V Balasubramanian and Justice T V Masilamani directed the CBI director to get the case investigated by an official not below the rank of a Deputy Director.

The judges, who expressed concern over the nature of allegations made against the police department as a whole, directed the CBI director to submit a report about the progress in investigation in two months to the registrar general of the high court for passing further orders regarding the case.

The court said that the investigation should cover all the aspects of the complaints made by Jayalakshmi. It should take into account not only the 22 officials against whom charges had been made, but also others who were not mentioned in the affidavit, but were reported to have played some role.

The judges ordered that the affidavit of Jayalakshmi itself could be treated as a complaint and a case be
registered.

Earlier, two police constables were arrested on the charge of 'abducting' Jayalakshmi, who describes herself as a 'multi-level' marketing businesswoman.

Jayalakshmi, a native of Virudhunagar district, was produced by police before the bench, following a habeas corpus petition filed by her father alleging that she had been kidnapped by some policemen.

Police had then told the court she was not kidnapped but had been absconding and that they had found her in Vellore. The case has become sensational with Jayalakshmi alleging in an affidavit that at least six police officers, including a DSP, had sexually harassed her besides cheating her.

She had also claimed that she had business links with many other senior police officials and demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged ill-treatment meted out to her by the police officials.

Three police officers in Madurai were also suspended in the wake of her charges.