Durgapur rape case: Fourth accused arrested; his bike was used to escape crime scene, say police

The accused will be presented before the Durgapur city court, and the police plan to seek his custody for further questioning. (Image credit: ANI)

The police in Durgapur, West Bengal, said on Monday that they have arrested fourth suspect in connection with the gang rape of a second-year MBBS student from a private medical college in the city.

The accused, identified as Sheikh Nasiruddin, 24, from Biraj, was detained on Sunday and taken into custody after a long night of questioning, The Indian Express reported.

According to the police, the other three accused, who were arrested earlier, mentioned Nasiruddin’s name during interrogation. Investigators said his motorcycle was used by the group to escape from the crime scene. The bike has also been seized by the police as part of the investigation.

Nasiruddin will be presented before the Durgapur city court, and the police plan to seek his custody for further questioning. Officials added that all four accused will later be taken to the crime spot for a reconstruction of the events to better understand how the assault took place.

The Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate on Sunday arrested Apu Bauri (21), Firdous Sheikh (23), and Sheikh Riazuddin (32) for their alleged involvement in the crime.

They have been booked under Section 70(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with gang rape, and Section 3(5), which pertains to joint criminal liability. The court has sent them to 10 days of police custody.

How police cracked the case

According to the police, they managed to trace the suspects after recovering the survivor’s mobile phone from the three men.

One of the accused had allegedly called the victim using their own phone or a companion’s number. The police tracked the mobile tower location of that call, which led them to a forested area behind the college. A search operation was launched there, and the three suspects were arrested.

The 23-year-old survivor, who is from Balasore in Odisha, was allegedly dragged outside her college campus and raped late Friday night. She had gone off campus with a male friend when the attack took place.

The student was immediately taken to a hospital, where she is now stable but deeply traumatised, according to her family.

Meanwhile, both the National Commission for Women (NCW) and the West Bengal Commission for Women have taken suo motu cognisance of the case. The NCW has asked for an action-taken report within five days, while the state commission has sought a report from the police within 15 days.