Two arrested for assaulting pregnant woman for money

Police arrested two more persons in connection with a case where a pregnant woman was assaulted in Ashoknagar in North 24 Parganas while trying to save her husband from members of a local club who demanded money for a puja on Thursday night.

The woman was taken to a hospital in a critical condition and the doctors had to terminate the pregnancy to save her life.

On Saturday morning, police arrested two men identified as Suman Paul and Toton Dey from Nadia. With these arrests, the total number of people arrested in this case rose to three as the investigators had earlier arrested one Noni Gopal Sarkar, a club member, on Friday.

Police learnt that Paul had beaten the victim's husband with an empty liquor bottle, prompting the woman to try and save him. The accused persons then kicked her on the stomach, causing her to start bleeding profusely.

Police also learnt that the club members had forced the victim's husband, Barun Bapari, to give them Rs 501 for Sitala Puja celebrations. Bapari tried to convince them that being a poor van-rickshaw puller, it was impossible for him to pay such a large amount. However, the club members paid no heed to his pleas and started beating him.

On the basis of the complaint lodged by the victim and her husband, police have started an investigation. Most of the members of the club fled the area after the incident.