The investigation into the alleged gangrape of an MBBS student in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district took a sharp turn on Tuesday after police arrested her male friend, who had accompanied her on the night of the incident. The arrest came hours after the police reconstructed the crime scene in the presence of the accused and forensic experts.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Asansol-Durgapur) Abhishek Gupta confirmed the development, saying, “The friend of the medical student has been arrested. He was under suspicion from the beginning and was being questioned for the last three days.” Gupta added that the student’s friend, who is from the same private medical college, had been giving inconsistent statements during interrogation.
Friend booked under gangrape and conspiracy charges
According to investigators, the accused has been booked under sections related to gangrape and criminal conspiracy, similar to the five others already in custody. Police officials said the accused will be produced before court on Wednesday.
The police reconstruction, which was videographed, showed the student’s friend in a blue t-shirt narrating events to officers. Sources said the woman’s statement before a magistrate revealed that her friend had “molested” her, while one of the other accused had raped her.
Commissioner of Police Sunil Chowdhury told reporters that all five men arrested earlier are in police remand and are being interrogated. “The woman in her statement said the sexual assault was committed by one of the five locals. We are probing the exact role of each accused and awaiting forensic and medico-legal reports,” he said.
New charges have been added
Police have added three more sections under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to the FIR — including snatching, extortion, and retention of stolen property. The mobile phones seized from the accused, along with their clothing, have been sent for forensic examination.
The woman’s father had earlier alleged that the friend “misled” his daughter to a deserted area before the attack. The survivor, originally from Odisha, remains admitted in hospital and is said to be stable.
Police first arrested three suspects — Apu Bauri (21), Firdous Sheikh (23), and Sheikh Riazuddin (32) — on Sunday, followed by Safiq (27) and Sheikh Nasiruddin (24) on Monday. All five are residents of nearby villages. The victim’s stolen mobile phone was also recovered from one of them, officers confirmed.
