West Bengal police have arrested five suspects in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student near her college campus in Durgapur.
While four suspects were arrested on Sunday, police confirmed the arrest of the the fifth on Monday.
Who are the suspects in Durgapur case?
West Bengal police have identified the suspects as Sheikh Safiqul, Sheikh Nasiruddin, Apu Bauri (21), Firdous Sheikh (23), and Sheikh Riazuddin (32).
The fifth suspect, Sheikh Safiqul, was arrested on October 13 and produced before a Durgapur court along with Sheikh Nasiruddin, who had been arrested late on Sunday.
The three other suspects, Apu Bauri, Firdous Sheikh, and Sheikh Riazuddin — were sent to police custody by the court on Sunday itself.
All five are residents of local villages.
They have been charged under sections 70(1) (gang rape) and 3(5) (crime committed with common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to the remand petition, a copy of which cited in an earlier HT report.
How were they arrested?
Police said the arrests were made based on phone call records and circumstantial evidence, as the survivor did not name any suspects in her initial complaint.
Investigators said there is no evidence so far to suggest that any of the five men have prior criminal records.
{{/usCountry}}Investigators said there is no evidence so far to suggest that any of the five men have prior criminal records.
{{/usCountry}}The survivor’s male classmate, who accompanied her to a roadside eatery near the campus on the evening of October 10, continues to be questioned in connection with the case.
What does the investigation say?
The woman, a resident of Jaleshwar in Odisha, is pursuing her studies at IQ City Medical College in Durgapur, where she is currently admitted. Her medical examination was also conducted at the same hospital.
According to officers at the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, several inconsistencies have emerged between the survivor’s statements, those of her friend, the medical findings, and the versions given by the arrested suspects.
In her initial statement to the doctor, the student reportedly said that three men were involved and that only one of them had assaulted her.
Later, in her formal statement to the police, she alleged that five men dragged her into a forested area and gang-raped her.
More about the Durgapur rape case
The police complaint was filed by the survivor’s father, who named his daughter’s friend along with five unidentified persons as suspects.
He told the media that the crime took place after 8 pm and that he received a call from his daughter’s classmates around 9:30 pm.
According to police, the woman told investigators that the assailants had used her phone to call her friend after the assault and kept the device, demanding ₹3,000 for its return.
She also alleged that they took ₹200 that she was carrying at the time. The phone was later recovered from one of the suspects arrested on Sunday, officials said.
The 23-year-old student was allegedly gang-raped after she stepped out with her friend. The miscreants snatched her mobile phone and ₹200 she was carrying, her father alleged.