Neighbour lynched in suspected case of sexual assault & poisoning of housewife

Kolkata: A housewife was allegedly abducted, sexually assaulted and killed by poisoning at Patashpur in East Midnapore while the alleged accused was lynched by local residents.

The local people alleged the involvement of the victim’s neighbour in the crime. Following the death, a section of angry villagers assaulted a person whom they claimed was the prime accused. The person later died in the hospital.

Local sources said the housewife was first sexually assaulted and then forcibly fed poison for hushing up the crime. The woman was taken to the hospital after she was found in an unconscious state. She later died. It is learnt that the housewife’s husband lives and works outside the state.

According to the victim’s family members, on October 4 afternoon the woman was abducted when she took cattle for grazing in a nearby field. Some time later when she did not return home, they began looking for her and found her in an unconscious state with her clothes in a rummaged condition. She was first taken to a local hospital and was soon transferred to a private hospital at Tamluk when her conditions deteriorated. She died early Sunday morning.

Soon after the news spread, the local people barged into the house of the person whom they suspected to be the accused and assaulted him brutally. The women beat him up with sticks and bamboos. The locals have alleged involvement of more persons in the crime.

The police somehow managed to rescue the person in a grievously injured condition from the mob and admitted him at Egra Super Speciality

Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The police is yet to find any evidence of sexual abuse or poisoning of the woman. However, the woman was beaten up over some dispute. “We are investigating whether there was sexual assault or poisoning. The autopsy will ascertain the cause of death,” an investigating officer said. A police official of the district said: “Both the incidents are very sensitive. We have started a probe of the case. Both the dead bodies have been sent for autopsy.” Police picket has been posted in the area where the incident occurred.