Minor among eight held in Bankura gang-rape case

Eight persons, including a minor, were arrested on Sunday in connection with the Bankura gang-rape incident.

Police said that all the eight persons are residents of Jagdolla area in Bankura and preliminary investigation revealed that the old rivalry had led to the crime that took place on the day of Saraswati puja.

All the accused were missing since the day of the incident. The police received a tip-off on Saturday night that all eight of them will be gathering in one of their house in the wee hours on Sunday to chalk out a plan to flee somewhere outside the state.

The policemen were keeping a watch and they found all of them moving into the village one after the other. Police conducted the raid when all eight of them had entered the house and arrested all of them.

On the day of Saraswati puja, the victim rode her motorbike with the youth with whom she had an affair sitting on the pillion and went to watch a puja at Jagdolla.

They were stopped when they were passing through a deserted area. Some of them caught the youth and rest of the accused allegedly gang-raped the woman.

They allowed both of them to go after taking away all valuables from them and they were also beaten up mercilessly. The next day morning the victim's family members lodged a complaint with the police.

The police initiated a raid in search of the accused and finally arrested all of the accused. Apart from the minor, all of them were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code on charges of gang-rape, molestation, threatening with dire consequences, manhandling and snatching valuables. Police said that they would call the victim and the youth, who was with him, for identification of the accused in test identification parade.