Specially-abled woman raped in Bandel, one arrested

Kolkata: Tension spread at Naldanga area of Bandel in Hooghly after a specially-challenged woman was allegedly raped by a youth.

The incident occurred on Monday night but tension prevailed till Tuesday morning as some of the local residents staged a demonstration in the area on Tuesday.

Following the incident, an angry mob managed to catch hold of the accused and beat him up.

He was later handed over to the police on Monday night.

The accused identified as Birbal Bhuniya, originally from Murshidabad, who was currently staying in the area.

Tuesday's agitation was, however, lifted after the police assured that the strong action would be taken against the accused. The victim was taken to a nearby health centre as she fell ill.

Police said that the victim woman had gone to fetch water from a local tap. The accused followed her and dragged her into a room. He tied the hands and legs of the woman and raped her.

At the time of the incident the victim screamed for help.

Being attracted by the screams of the victim, the local residents rushed to the spot for her rescue.

Sensing the people coming, the accused, Birbal tried to flee the spot. The locals managed to catch the accused and informed the police.

Police arrested the accused on the charges of raping the specially-abled woman. Police said that Birbal was currently staying at a rented house. He had started living in Bandel almost two years ago when he came there from his native place for work. The accused was inebriated when he committed the crime, the police said.