The West Bengal Police on Monday confirmed that all five accused in the alleged gang rape of a 23-year-old MBBS student near a private medical college in Durgapur have been arrested.
“Two more arrests have been made. With these, all five accused have been taken into custody based on the complaint filed,” said Abhisekh Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate.
The incident, which has sparked widespread outrage, took place on Friday night, near IQ City Medical College and Hospital in Durgapur’s Bidhan Nagar area. The victim, a second-year MBBS student from Jaleswar, Odisha, was allegedly gang raped by a group of men after leaving the campus for dinner with a male classmate.
Police said the pair were followed by three local men shortly after exiting the campus gates around 8 p.m. CCTV footage captured the suspects tailing them just before the incident.
According to investigators, the assailants dragged the woman about 500 metres into a nearby forested area, where she was allegedly repeatedly assaulted. Two more individuals are believed to have joined during the attack, bringing the total number of perpetrators to five.
The attackers reportedly robbed the victim of her mobile phone and ₹200 in cash. Using the stolen phone, they later contacted one of her friends, demanding ₹3,000 as ransom for the device’s return. Police sources revealed the assailants also issued threats to silence the victim during the ordeal.
The male classmate who accompanied the victim has been detained for questioning. According to the medical college, he returned to the hostel alone at 8:42 p.m., before leaving again and eventually returning with the injured woman around 9:30 p.m. The victim’s classmates promptly contacted her family, and her father filed a formal police complaint the next day.
The police responded by launching a multi-agency operation, deploying drones over the Bijra village area, and conducting a forensic examination of the crime scene. By Sunday, three suspects, Apu Bauri (21), Sheikh Firdous (23), and Sheikh Riyazuddin (31), were arrested and sent to 10-day police custody by a local court. A fourth suspect, Sheikh Nasimuddin, was arrested later that evening. The final arrest came on Monday.
The student is currently undergoing treatment at the medical college hospital. She is in stable condition, though unable to walk without assistance due to her injuries. Doctors confirmed she remains in a deeply distressed state. Her father, who travelled from Odisha after learning of the incident, expressed anguish over her condition and plans to transfer her to a medical college in Odisha for the remainder of her studies, citing safety concerns in West Bengal.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the assault, describing it as “shocking” and vowed strict action. “No accused will be spared,” she said, adding that she had directed the state health department to seek a full report from the college administration.“Private institutions must be held accountable for student safety,” she added. However, Banerjee’s suggestion that female students avoid late-night outings sparked criticism. Opposition leaders, particularly from the BJP, accused her of victim-blaming and called out the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
