Woman lures widow to rapists at a party

Chinsurah, March 8: A 25-year-old widow has complained that she was lured to a feast by someone she considered her elder sister and handed over to five men to be raped. Unlike the Park Street, Falta and Burdwan cases, the Hooghly police acted immediately and not only took her complaint but also got her statement recorded before a magistrate. They have even tracked down three of the five suspects named in the FIR.

The police started the investigation based solely on the illiterate victim's complaint, unlike the Park Street police who seemed more interested in poking holes in the car-rape victim's account. The prompt action suggests that the force has learnt a lesson from the recent gaffes that triggered public outrage.

The victim comes from an extremely impoverished family. On Monday, she got a dinner invite from a well-to-do woman she knew for a long time. In her complaint, she says that she did not find any reason to suspect "didi's invitation".

Even on reaching there, she found nothing to raise alarm. Late in afternoon, the host told the widow that a few guests (local villagers) would also be dropping in for dinner. She was asked to cook chicken for them. She did so without a thought because the woman often asked her to run errands and do some odd jobs. Several men came late in the evening. She says she saw them have liquor along with the food.

Sometime later, a youth asked her to show the way out. When she did so, four others followed. She alleges she was dragged to a tomato field nearby and raped by all five of them. The ordeal lasted over an hour. She couldn't even shout for help as the rapists threatened her and put their hands on her mouth. Somehow, late at night she managed to escape and narrated her ordeal at home.

On Tuesday morning, she came to the police station and spoke to the officers. Police asked her to write a complaint but she said that she was illiterate. Police swung into action immediately. Not only was her case registered, an appeal was made to a Chinsurah court to record her statement under 164 CrPC. The statement was recorded before a judicial magistrate in-camera. While senior officers wouldn't comment on record, one said, "As per the apex court verdict, a victim's complaint is the most crucial evidence in any such allegation. A judicial 'confession' therefore, is critical evidence before a trial court later."

Hooghly additional SP Ashesh Biswas said: "We have gone through her complaint in detail. We are questioning the host and have managed to identify three youths. They were all known to the host. Nothing more can be said now as raids are on. We are hopeful of tracking down all the accused." Police suspect that the host may have staged the entire incident. "She appears to be the key link. We are interrogating her," said an officer.