Bhubaneswar: While all five accused in the alleged gang rape of a second-year medical student from Odisha’s Jaleswar in Durgapur have been arrested, the male friend with whom she went out for dinner on the fateful Friday evening has also come under the scanner of the West Bengal police following contradictions in his statements.
The male friend was detained for questioning amid efforts to nab the culprits.
According to reports, the friend’s decision to flee from the spot instead of seeking help from other college friends has raised further doubts raised doubts in the minds of the investigators. “The investigation is ongoing, and we are exploring all possible angles,” IANS reported, quoting said a senior officer of Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate.
The survivor’s father had also questioned his role, accusing him of abandoning his daughter during the crisis. “She told me that a boy took her away, and a friend did something bad to her. There were 4–5 people involved. Our demand is that the culprits be punished and strict action be taken,” he told the media.
The alleged assault on the medical student took place between 8 pm and 8.45 pm, according to the FIR registered by police. Initially, three individuals accosted and surrounded the young woman and snatched away her phone as she attempted to contact her college friends. Two more individuals later joined, taking the total of perpetrators involved in the incident to five.
The accused allegedly demanded Rs 3,000 from the victim to return her phone.
“Security camera footage at the medical college showed the survivor and her friend leaving the campus around 7.54 pm. The male student returned around 8.42 pm and was loitering around. He left again at 8.48 pm and returned with the survivor around 9.30 pm,” the HT reported earlier, quoting a West Bengal police officer.
The accused had alleged chased the male friend away, dragged her to a nearby forest and then raped her. “The survivor said that the culprits called up her friend from her phone after the rape but kept the device saying it would be returned only if she paid Rs 3,000. It was seized from the accused after their arrest,” the officer added.
NCW member Archana Majumdar, who met the survivor at a hospital in Durgapur, had also claimed that it was on the man’s insistence that the woman stepped out of the private college. “The survivor’s friend is also under the scanner. He had insisted that she go out with him. He took her out of the college premises. When the survivor was cornered by the accused, he fled the scene. Police must look into this matter,” she told reporters.
