Kolkata: In a spinechilling incidednt, five rapists abducted a shopping mall employee returning home on Sunday night and gangraped her inside a truck parked on a lonely spot near Princep Ghat.
The victim's mother alleged that her daughter was returned home in a shuttle (shared) taxi to Howrah after work in a South Kolkata shopping mall, when the five rapists abducted her.
The victim was gangraped inside a truck, and then thrown in unconscious condition on the road near Babughat, where she lay there for a long time. The girl regained consciousness, and somehow managed to reach Howrah station by walking, She rang up her home and disclosed the trauma that she went through.
The girl was admitted to Howrah district hospital, and police is now on the lookout of the rapists. So far, one person has been arrested.
An angry West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the police commissioner Surajit Purakayastha to round up the rapists immediately.
The arrested man confessed to his crime, said the commissioner.
The rape victim has been shifted to a nursing home in Kolkata. The West Bengal government will bear the expenses of her treatment, sources said. The victim is still in serious condition.
The 21-year-old victim had left her home in Bagnan, Howrah on Saturday morning to go to the shopping mall for work. On Saturday night, she returned and stayed at her mama's (uncle) home in Sibpore. She again left for work at the shopping mall on Sunday morning, and at night came out with two of her women colleagues.
The three employees took a taxi from Jadavpore, and on the way the victim dropped two of her friends at Park Circus and proceeded towards Howrah via Kidderpore.
Police officials question the circumstances in which the victim reached Kidderpore, and are also probing whether the victim knew any of the five assailants.
The girl's mother told police in writing that at 10:30 pm her daughter was waiting for a bus at Kidderpore bus stop to go to Howrah station, when a person called her from behind. Suddenly two youths came out of a vehicle, one of them clamped his palm over her mouth, and dragged her into the vehicle. There were five youths inside the vehicle, her mother said.
The victim was first taken to Munshiganj near Wattgunj, but seeing a large number of pedestrians there, they took the vehicle through Port area via Hastings More, and brought her at around 12:30 am to a lonely place near Princep Ghat.
The rapists, according to the victim's mother, then dragged her and put her inside a vacant truck, where all the five took turns to rape her. At around 3:30 am, the rapists took her in their vehicle, and threw her outside Babughat and fled. Her bag and cellphone were lying on the road.
After regaining consciousness at around 4 am, the victim somehow managed to walk to platform no 15 at Howrah station and rang up her relatives. Her mother came to Howrah station at around 6 am, and rushed her to Howrah General Hospital.
Chief Medical Officer of Howrah General Hospital Debashis Roy said, the victim's body had multiple bruises, and prime facie, it seems to be a case of gang rape.Forensic tests are on to collect evidences, he added.
Kolkata Police has filed a case of gang rape, abduction, intimidation at Wattgunj police station, and the probe has been entrusted to Detective Department.
Police is going through the victim's cellphone call list. Roadside CCTV footage is being checked to trace the vehicle. The victim's clothes and other belongings have been sent for forensic examination, police said.
Opposition parties attacked the government for its failure to curb crime against women.
"Under this regime, a horrendous history of gang rape is being created. It only brings out the government's inability to keep law and order under control and provide security to women," said Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra, of the Communist Party of India-Marxist.
Bharatiya Janata Party activists demonstrated in Howrah against the incident.
The incident comes close on the heels of the horrific Madhyamgram case, in which a 16 year old girl was raped twice by a gang and later allegedly burnt to death.
Over the past two years, the TMC government had received flak for incidents of gangrapes in places like Kamduni, Katwa, Kharjuna and Park Street.
