Kolkata : Police on Monday arrested the fifth accused in the Durgapur gang-rape case, marking the completion of the operation to capture all the culprits.
The accused, identified as Sheikh Safiqul, a resident of Durgapur, was hiding at a relative’s house when officers tracked him down and took him into custody. Police also arrested Sheikh Nasiruddin on Sunday night. Both will appear before the Durgapur Sub-Divisional Court today, where investigators will request their custody for interrogation.
On Sunday, police had arrested three others — Sheikh Reajuddin, Firdos Sheikh, and Apu Bauri — and secured a 10-day custody order. With all five accused behind bars, investigators plan to question them together and reconstruct the crime scene in the forested area near a private medical college and hospital where the assault occurred.
Officers have arranged DNA tests for the accused to match forensic evidence collected from the scene.
The case began when a second-year medical student from Odisha filed a complaint alleging that a group of men attacked her on Friday night outside her college campus in Durgapur. She told police that the men followed her and her friend on motorcycles, hurled lewd remarks, and later dragged her into a nearby forest to assault her. They also took her mobile phone before fleeing.
Her friend returned with fellow students and found her injured. They immediately took her to a local hospital, where she is receiving treatment.
Police have detained the male friend for questioning to verify his statements and confirm the sequence of events.
–IANS
