A deaf-mute woman was dragged into a car in one of Kolkata’s busiest streets on Friday evening and allegedly gang-raped by four men, one of whom is the nephew of an influential Trinamool Congress councillor, say police.
For nearly half an hour, the woman banged on the windows and kicked out in desperation as the gang drove around Port area, apparently heading towards Taratala Nature Park, which is deserted after dark. Her ordeal ended when local residents saw her frantic struggle and stopped the car. Liquor bottles, used and unused condoms and a woman’s earring were found in the car.
“We have registered a case under IPC sections 376 (2) (j) (l), 376D and 511 related to gang rape and threat. We are trying to arrest all the accused,” said DC-Port Sudeep Sarkar. Only the alleged planner, Raj Ansari, has been arrested. He is related to a Trinamool leader.
The 35-year-old survivor is employed in a garment shop. She leaves at 6pm every day and walks home, around 3km away. On Friday, she had reached Kilkhana crossing when a Sumo pulled alongside and four men offered her a lift. Since she couldn’t hear what they were saying, she stood puzzled for a moment and started walking again. But the four dragged her in and began assaulting her, says the complaint.
Another version is that the woman fought so hard that the gang dumped her on the road and tried to flee but locals intervened. Police, however, insist it was cops at a checkpoint who went to the woman’s aid. Local residents question this, saying if the police intercepted the Sumo, how did three suspects flee?
The woman explained her ordeal in sign language after which her parents filed a FIR. Police have named the absconding trio as Md Sayam, Md Sufian and Tayab, aged between 25 and 28 years. Raj, they say, was the planner, while Sayam, a driver, “pitched in with his Sumo”. Although police have charged them with gang rape, some officers said they are “treating it as attempted rape” until they get the medical report. The survivour is in the hospital where she is being treated for her injuries and being counselled for the trauma.
This incident comes two and a half months after a woman was gang-raped inside a moving car in the tech hub of Sector V and only 10 days after a cabby tried to kidnap a woman passenger in Chetla, raising questions about the safety of women in Kolkata. What’s also worrying is that drivers are among the key suspects in all three cases -an IT carpool driver had allegedly taken the lead in the Sector V gang rape.
Garden Reach police have formed teams along with the `special unit’ of Port division to nab the other accused.
“We are going through CCTV footage of Rajabagan and Metiabruz areas for leads. The call records and phone locations of the suspects’ phones are also being tracked,” said an officer.