Kolkata guest house horror: Schoolgirl forced to book room, buy alcohol before gangrape

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Kolkata Police have arrested three college students in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old schoolgirl at a guest house in the city’s Golpark area. This incident reportedly occurred on December 19 last year.

The arrests were made on Tuesday after the survivor’s family, who had only recently learned of the assault, filed a complaint with the Rabindra Sarobar police station.

According to investigators, the accused, identified as Soham Banerjee (18), Rishi Agarwal (19) and Aryan Mishra (20), befriended the minor on social media and invited her for lunch at a mall on Rashbehari Avenue before taking her to the guest house, where the assault took place. The accused allegedly filmed the crime and threatened to release the video if the survivor spoke out, leading to months of silence out of fear and distress.

According to the complaint, the accused took her to a nearby guest house and forced her to arrange money through UPI from her father, who was in the UK, to book two rooms and purchase alcohol. When Soham went out to buy alcohol, Rishi first raped the girl.

“She tried to resist, but was overpowered. Once he left, she went to the other room and told the friends about her ordeal but Soham locked her up and told her that since Rishi had already had sex with her, he would do the same. Soham, Rishi, Aryan and another friend took turns to rape her and when she tried to resist, they became violent,” an officer was quoted by TOI.

Police sources told The Telegraph that the survivor’s parents became concerned after noticing changes in her behaviour over the past four months. The delay in reporting the incident was attributed to concerns about the girl’s mental well-being and the stigma associated with such cases.

The accused were traced through their social media accounts and charged under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as well as relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with gang rape, voyeurism, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation. A fourth accused remains at large.

Police have seized mobile phones and other evidence for forensic examination and the survivor’s statement will be recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The investigation continues, with authorities focusing on digital and witness evidence due to the time elapsed since the incident.

The case has sparked outrage and renewed calls for stringent action against sexual violence in Kolkata, with the complainant’s lawyer describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of sexual assault in recent times” and demanding the strictest punishment for those involved.