Woman gang-raped, tortured with iron rod in West Bengal; 2 held

A woman was allegedly gang-raped brutally in a secluded area in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, police said on Sunday, October 21.

Munda and Roy took the woman to the banks of a river about one-and-a-half kilometres from her home and allegedly raped her. The two then tortured her by shoving an iron rod into her private parts and fled the place leaving the woman in a pool of blood. A rickshaw puller rescued her later in the night and took her to a local hospital.

"The homemaker of Madhyapara area was alone when two persons, Parimal Rai and Ratnu Munda, took her away and raped her on Saturday night. Today we received a complaint and based on the victim's statement we arrested both of them," said a police officer of Dhupguri police station.

“The two men are in their twenties. They tortured the victim with an iron rod,” said Dhendup Sherpa, additional superintendent of police (rural).

Munda and Roy were arrested on Sunday morning after police recorded the woman’s statement. West Bengal’s additional director general (law and order) Anuj Sharma said they have instructed the district police to file a charge sheet within three days. “The victim is recovering but her condition is still critical.”

Police said the two, Ratna Munda and Parimal Roy, allegedly lured her on Saturday night on the pretext of discussing a land deal. The woman did not suspect anything amiss as they were her neighbours.

The woman was first taken to a local hospital in Dhupguri and was later shifted to Jalpaiguri district hospital after her condition worsened.