Police rule out gangrape in Durgapur MBBS student case
Kolkata: Amid nationwide outrage over the alleged gang-rape of a second-year MBBS student in Durgapur, police said that based on the survivor's statement and initial medical evidence, one of the five accused had sexually assaulted her. Therefore, they have ruled out gang rape for now, though the investigation is still ongoing to ascertain the role of the other accused.
Besides, the police have also arrested the survivor’s friend who was with her on the night of October 10 when the incident took place. His arrest is the sixth in the case, with five others already in custody.
Medical Dialogues had reported that altogether five accused have been arrested and are in police custody. The second-year student of a private medical college in Durgapur, hailing from Jaleswar in Odisha's Balasore district, was allegedly gang-raped on Friday (October 10) night when she went outside the college campus with a male friend to have dinner.
According to police sources, the student had initially submitted a brief written statement of three to four lines to the college authorities, stating that she and her friend were walking outside the campus when they were suddenly surrounded by a group of men who then assaulted her.
The statement was later forwarded to the police, following which an FIR was lodged and an investigation initiated. Based on the student's complaint, the police determined that the incident occurred between 8 p.m. and 8.45 p.m. on Friday. Investigators said that three men initially surrounded the student and snatched away her phone when she tried to call her friends for help. Two more persons later joined them, and together the five men allegedly raped her. The accused also offered her Rs 5,000 to leave quietly, police sources said.
The survivor's male friend, who was accompanying her and also fled the scene during the alleged assault, is now in police custody. He has been identified as the prime accused in the case and was also named in a complaint filed by the survivor’s father. He was produced before the court on Wednesday morning, as per India Today news report.
Addressing a press conference, Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Chowdhury ruled out gang rape. He told India Today, “According to the statement given by the woman and based on physical evidence, it has been established so far that only one person was involved in the sexual assault. The investigation is ongoing. Clothes of one accused have been collected and sent to a forensic laboratory.”
"The presence of the five arrested accused was established in our investigation. The mobile phone of the survivor was recovered during our probe. We visited the crime scene along with the friend of the woman. Reconstruction of the crime was conducted. We are examining everything. We are awaiting forensic and medical reports. The role of the woman's friend also seems to be doubtful. He is under the scanner. We are probing his activities too. We are questioning him too," he said.
West Bengal Police on Tuesday afternoon took the five arrested accused and the friend of the Durgapur gang rape survivor to the crime spot for reconstruction of the crime as a part of their ongoing probe.
The arrested persons and the survivor’s friend were taken to the crime spot in the jungle adjacent to Paranaganj Kali Bari cremation ground, and asked to “reenact” their respective roles when the alleged crime took place there on Friday night.
“The accused and the survivor’s friend, who accompanied her on Friday night, have been brought to the spot for the reconstruction of the crime. The entire reconstruction will be videographed and then tallied with their statements. We will also verify this with the statement of the victim,” the police officer, who is part of the investigating team, told PTI.
Before coming for the reconstruction of the crime, investigating officers questioned the survivor’s friend for nearly an hour, he said.
Meanwhile, two of the five arrested accused were on Tuesday morning taken to their respective residences, primarily to find evidence linked to the crime which they may have concealed, he said.
During the search, police seized a few clothes from the duo’s homes, which were allegedly worn by them during the crime, the officer said.
Earlier, the clothes of the other three arrested accused were seized from their possessions as a part of the investigation, he said.
“These clothes will be sent for forensic examination. The results will help in our investigation,” he said, adding that the background of the five arrested accused was also checked to find out whether they were involved in some crime in the past.
The mobile phones seized from the possession of the five arrested accused were also sent for the tests, he said, adding that the police were also questioning fellow students of the survivor as part of their probe.
Later in the day, the five arrested accused would be taken for medical examination, he said.
Among the five arrested accused, one is a former security guard of the private college, while another is currently working with another hospital, the police officer said. One accused is a temporary worker at the local civic body, while another is an unemployed person.
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