Durgapur gang rape case: Police take five accused, survivor’s friend for crime scene reconstruction

KOLKATA: West Bengal Police on Tuesday afternoon took the five arrested accused and the friend of the Durgapur gang rape survivor to the crime spot for reconstruction of the crime as a part of their ongoing probe, a senior officer said.

The arrested persons and the survivor's friend were taken to the crime spot in the jungle adjacent to Paranaganj Kali Bari cremation ground, and asked to "reenact" their respective roles when the alleged crime took place there on Friday night .

"The accused and the survivor's friend, who accompanied her on Friday night, have been brought to the spot for the reconstruction of the crime. The entire reconstruction will be videographed and then tallied with their statements. We will also verify this with the statement of the victim," the police officer, who is part of the investigating team, told PTI.

Before coming for the reconstruction of the crime, investigating officers questioned the survivor's friend for nearly an hour, he said. Meanwhile, two of the five arrested accused were on Tuesday morning taken to their respective residences, primarily to find evidence linked to the crime which they may have concealed, he said.

Police seize clothes worn during crime

During the search, police seized a few clothes from the duo's homes, which were allegedly worn by them during the crime, the officer said.

Earlier, the clothes of the other three arrested accused were seized from their possessions as a part of the investigation, he said. "These clothes will be sent for forensic examination. The results will help in our investigation," he said, adding that the background of the five arrested accused was also checked to find out whether they were involved in some crime in the past.

The mobile phones seized from the possession of the five arrested accused were also sent for the tests, he said, adding that the police were also questioning fellow students of the survivor as part of their probe. Later in the day, the five arrested accused would be taken for medical examination, he said.

Among the five arrested accused, one is a former security guard of the private college, while another is currently working with another hospital, the police officer said. One accused is a temporary worker at the local civic body, while another is an unemployed person.

The second-year student hailing from Odisha's Jaleswar was allegedly raped by some men outside the campus of the private medical college in Durgapur