Panchasayer gang-rape: Taxi driver confesses to crime

Kolkata: In connection with the Panchasayer gang rape case, a taxi driver was arrested on Saturday night. Police claimed that the accused person identified as Uttam Ram has confessed to the crime.

A woman with mental illness was allegedly gang-raped by two men and she was later dumped near Sonarpur railway station on November 12 pm.

During questioning, the caretaker of the home where the victim was admitted claimed that she had went out by breaking the lock late on November 11 night.

But during the investigation, the police found that the victim woman unlocked the gate using key and she had gone out around 10:30 pm.

The victim told police that she was raped by two men. At first, she raped in a field and was again forced to board a car. While one person was driving the car another raped her inside the moving car. While interacting with the victim, police came to know on that night she had boarded two cars.

Following that police started scrutinising CCTV camera footages. In one footage, the police found the woman deboarding a car on the Eastern Metropolitan (EM) Bypass crossing. From there she boarded a no refusal Air Conditioned (AC) taxi. Later, the police found that after getting out of the home, victim woman requested a car driver to give her lift.

The driver dropped her on the EM Bypass crossing. When the woman was walking along the road, Ram, who was driving his taxi, stopped beside her and told the woman that he would drop her where she want to go.

After she boarded the taxi, Ram drove towards Ajaynagar and from there he took a 'U' turn and went towards Narendrapur. Police are yet to find out who was the second offender on November 11.

Though the police identified the taxi in the CCTV footage, the number plate of the taxi was illegible. Later, the police decided to check the taxi database from the Transport department and detained all the taxi drivers and owners who reside in and around Panchasayar including Ram. While interrogating them, police found ambiguities in Ram's statement. When he was grilled again, he confessed to the crime and was arrested.