In a horrifying incident in West Bengal’s Durgapur, a second-year MBBS student from Odisha was allegedly gang-raped by five unidentified men in a jungle area near the city on Friday night. The attack comes months after the brutal rape and murder of a female doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital, raising fresh fears for the safety of medical professionals and students in the state.
The victim, a resident of Jaleswar in Odisha, is studying at IQ City Medical College Hospital, a private medical college near Shobhapur. She is a second year student. According to reports, she had gone out with a male friend named Wasif Ali from the college campus around 8:30 PM on October 10. The pair was walking along the isolated Mohanbaghan Avenue, adjacent to Durgapur Government College in the New Township police station area, when the assault occurred.
The dark, jungle-surrounded stretch of road is known to be deserted at night. Reports state that five strangers suddenly appeared, abducted the student, and dragged her into the nearby jungle behind the hospital. They threatened her male friend with death if he try to intervene. In the jungle, they allegedly raped her. As per reports, all the accused took turn to rape her one after another.
The attackers also took away the victim’s phone and said that she can have the phone back if she pays them ₹3000, and they fled from the scene. They threatened to kill her if she reveals the incident to anyone.
The companion reportedly fled the scene during the attack due to the threats, but returned later to find the injured student. He immediately rushed her to the hospital for treatment. The victim is currently receiving care at her college’s attached medical facility, where her condition is said to be stable but serious.
The victim’s family, who rushed from Odisha to Durgapur on Saturday morning, has said that all five perpetrators were unknown to her. They are going to file a formal written complaint at the New Township police station on her behalf. According to them, the girl’s condition is serious. Her father alleged lack of proper security arrangement at the medical college campus.
In a swift development, police have arrested the victim’s male friend, described in some reports as her boyfriend, for questioning. Investigators are probing his role in the events, including why he took her to the remote area late at night and why he initially fled. “We are examining all angles, including the companion’s actions during the abduction,” a senior police officer told reporters. Police have also begun questioning staff of the medical college and other individuals in the area.
The search for the five main accused continues, with no arrests reported yet. Forensic teams have visited the crime scene, and CCTV footage from nearby areas is being reviewed.
In the meanwhile, the state health authority have sought a report of the incident from the private medical college.
