Kolkata, Nov. 1 -- A woman was allegedly gangraped at knifepoint, and her husband was brutally assaulted by a group of five men late on Friday night in the Subhasgram area, under the jurisdiction of Sonarpur Police Station in South 24-Parganas.
The police have arrested one of the suspects in connection with the crime, while a massive manhunt is underway to capture the remaining four individuals, including the prime accused.
According to sources, the couple had been to a relative's house on Friday. Around 1:30 am, the woman and her husband were going to another house nearby to sleep. While the couple was walking, a group of five locals intercepted them in a secluded area. When the husband attempted to resist, the accused men severely assaulted him. The perpetrators then pulled out a knife, threatening the woman.
She was forcefully dragged into a nearby abandoned room, where she was subjected to sexual assault. Before fleeing the spot, the miscreants threatened the couple with dire consequences if they approached the police.
Terrified, the couple spent the night at a local resident's house. On Saturday, they lodged a complaint at the Sonarpur Police Station, based on which an FIR was registered. Acting promptly, the police arrested one of the accused within a few hours of the registration of the FIR.
Reacting to the incident, MAITC MLA Kunal Ghosh termed it extremely unfortunate, alleging that atrocities were increasing day by day in Bengal.
He described fake encounters as an eyewash and claimed that the police were busy working for the ruling party, emboldening miscreants to commit such crimes. The incident has sparked panic among residents in the Rajpur-Sonarpur areas, reviving memories of a previous high-profile crime in neighbouring Baruipur.
Local residents noted that the incident occurred within the same police district where a minor girl was raped and murdered, and her body dumped in a pond, triggering massive public protests, institutional shutdowns and even a retaliatory encounter shooting of the prime suspect by the police. Residents reportedly demanded heightened police patrolling.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.