A woman has alleged that she was raped by three men at a hotel in central Kolkata. Based on the complaint, three Bangladeshis who were staying at the hotel have been arrested.
Police said the woman, who lives in a district in West Bengal, filed a complaint alleging that she had been raped by three men who had put up in the hotel in the New Market area.
“We received the complaint on Wednesday and started an investigation. On checking CCTV footage, we found that the woman was taken to the hotel room, as she had mentioned in her complaint. The three accused men were questioned and later arrested,” said a senior officer of New Market police station, where the complaint was lodged.
Deputy commissioner (central) Rupesh Kumar said the three accused — Mohammad Rassel, 37, Mohammad Kaiser Chowdhury, 36, and Mohammad Abdullah Al Mizan, 37 — were found to be Bangladeshi nationals.
They have been charged under IPC sections related to rape, cheating and common intention. If convicted, they can be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Referring to the woman’s decision to lodge a police complaint, a senior police officer at Lalbazar said: “This is a welcome change. Women should not be afraid to report any crime against them. They should help the police book the per petrators. Many women feel scared to approach the police, which is the first step towards arresting the accused.”
The police said many similar crimes go unreported as women and their families shy away from lodging complaints, fearing social stigma or legal complications.
Officers said they would submit a prayer in the court to record the complainant’ statement under Section 164 of the CrPC.
3 killed in accident
Three youths on two motorcycles died after the two-wheelers apparently lost control and crashed into the rear of a lorry on Basanti Highway on Tuesday night.
Pradip Naskar, 18, Achyutananda Gain, 19, and Subhadeep Laha, 24, were taken to SSKM Hospital where they were declared dead.
Body found
A man was found dead on the rooftop of a building on Mayurbhanj Road in southwest Kolkata’s Ekbalpore on Wednesday.