Mentally unsound woman gangraped, tortured in Kushmandi

Kolkata: A mentally challenged woman was allegedly gangraped and tortured with an iron rod at Kushmandi in South Dinajpur on Saturday night.

Police said that the victim was kidnapped when she was returning after offering puja in a nearby temple on the day of Shivaratri. She was taken under a culvert and sexually assaulted.

The police came to know after preliminary investigation that there are at least three persons, who are involved in the crime. The 28-year-old woman used to stay alone as her parents had passed away 14 years ago. Local people and neighbours used to give her food and they also used to support her, so that she can stay without being disturbed by anyone.

But on Saturday, she went out of her house all alone to offer the puja and was kidnapped while returning. The perpetrators allegedly tortured her with an iron rod after assaulting her sexually.

They had left place leaving the victim to die. Some passersby had heard her crying for help and went inside the culvert to find her lying in a pool of blood, following which police were informed.

Policemen from Kushmandi police station went to the spot and rescued the woman. They took her to Raiganj District Hospital. She was shifted to Malda Medical College and Hospital, where she is battling for her life.

Police came to know after speaking to her neighbours that the woman was married to a resident of Bihar around eight years ago. Something went wrong soon after the marriage, following which she became mentally imbalanced. As a result, she returned to Raiganj and started staying all alone.

Senior police officers visited the spot and have taken all necessary steps to arrest the accused as

early as possible.

A police officer also said that the accused had been keeping an eye on the woman for the past few days. They also confirmed that the perpetrators cannot be anyone other than local residents, as they are well aware about the area.