A mentally challenged woman was raped by a youth of Kadamtala in Thakurpukur on Monday night. Locals caught him and handed him over to the police. However, he was found roaming in the area within hours on Tuesday. While the locals said the police released him, the cops said, the youth escaped from their custody within hours of his arrest.

Locals staged a protest in front of the police station on Tuesday and demanded that the rapist be arrested. They also demanded that the policemen who were on duty when the rapist escaped be punished. The 40-year old woman lived in an abandoned bus.