Seven individuals have been apprehended regarding the abduction and gang-rape of a teenage girl in West Bengal’s Purulia district, as confirmed by senior police officials. The incident led to the filing of a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO). The victim, a resident of Purulia town, went missing after leaving her home to visit a friend on Friday evening.
The girl’s absence prompted her family to report a kidnapping at the Purulia Sadar police station. Following the complaint, an immediate police investigation was initiated, resulting in the girl’s rescue later that night. Subsequently, during interrogation, the victim recounted the harrowing experience of being abducted and sexually assaulted.
According to the victim’s testimony, she was accosted by a group of seven or eight young men while walking at night. They forcibly took her to a field near the railway tracks where she was subjected to gang-rape. After the ordeal, she managed to return home, leading to her discovery by the authorities. The girl underwent a medical examination at a hospital following the incident.
Based on the victim’s account, the police conducted searches at various locations, culminating in the arrest of seven suspects on Sunday. While six were presented before the Purulia District Court and remanded to judicial custody for seven days, one individual was hospitalized due to illness. The hospitalized suspect will face legal proceedings upon recovery, as stated by a senior officer from Purulia district police. Meanwhile, the victim is scheduled to provide a confidential statement before a magistrate on Monday.
