Two cases of rape in South 24-Parganas district have posed a fresh challenge for police.

In the first incident, the police have been accused of initially disregarding a rape complaint filed by a 27-year-old homemaker a few weeks ago, which allegedly emboldened her attacker.

According to cops and local sources, the accused youth, who is the woman's neighbour, raped her and took "objectionable" pictures of her while her husband was away on work.

The woman said that she initially approached the police, her complaint allegedly went unheeded because of the accused’s "political links". The youth allegedly continued to rape her and extort money from her.

When her husband returned, the woman filed a fresh police complaint on Wednesday night. Then, the police started a probe, but the accused absconded.

A senior officer from the Baruipur police district said: “We’ve opened a case and are also investigating whether there was any lapse on the part of officers handling her initial complaint. The accused is absconding, but we are actively pursuing leads for his arrest.”

In another incident, a 40-year-old mentally-challenged woman, who is also deaf-mute, was reportedly sexually assaulted by a 58-year-old neighbour. According to cops and residents, the woman used to wander here and there.

On Tuesday, she went missing, only to be found later that night in an abandoned house with the accused.

The victim’s mother and relatives nabbed the man "in the act" and handed him over to the police.

Following an interrogation, the accused was formally charged with rape on
Wednesday.