A minor girl’s Durga Puja pandal hopping wish turned into her nightmare after she was allegedly gang-raped by three youth in Murshidabad district on the night of Wednesday (Nabami). Police arrested the three accused, including the one who was known to the victim.
According to police, the minor girl’s friend called her on the pretext of taking her to puja pandals. "Since he was known to the victim’s family, her parents did not object. She left home with her friend wearing new clothes gifted by her parents on the occasion of the festival,” said a police officer.
Preliminary investigation by the police revealed the youth took her towards a less crowded area where two of his friends were consuming liquor sitting on the side-walls of a culvert.
“The victim alleged that as she reached the culvert, her friend and two others dragged her to an abandoned brick kiln where the incident of sexual assault on her took place. After the three left the brick kiln, the victim returned home in a shattered state. Next day, her family members lodged a complaint with the local police station,” said the officer.
The police raided several places in the area where both the victim and the accused trio reside. “Sensing trouble, the three accused were on the run. In the wee hours of Thursday, we arrested the three accused, identified as Manoj Ghosh, Subrata Ghosh and Suman Mandal, from a hideout. The suspects were produced before a court in Behrampur and the magistrate remanded them to judicial custody for three days,” the officer added.
The victim underwent a medical examination at the district hospital and the preliminary findings of the doctor confirmed signs of sexual assault on her.
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