All six accused in the Durgapur gang-rape case are scheduled to be produced before a local court on Wednesday, where the police are expected to seek an extension of their custody to continue the investigation.
Among those to be produced is Wasif Ali, the male friend of the victim, who was arrested earlier in connection with the case.
According to sources, investigators have found discrepancies in the statements made by the accused, including the victim’s friend, which has created challenges in piecing together the sequence of events. The police are therefore seeking more time to interrogate the accused and address the inconsistencies in their testimonies.
On Tuesday, the statements of two of the six accused were recorded before a judicial magistrate under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, which empowers magistrates to record confessions or witness statements during an investigation.
Following their deposition, both accused were sent back to police custody. Investigators believe the two might turn approvers in the case, given the nature of their statements.
During the six-day interrogation so far, police have identified several inconsistencies between the statements of the victim’s male friend and the five other accused from a nearby village. Efforts are underway to establish the missing links and verify the sequence of events leading up to the crime.
The case involves the alleged gang rape of a second-year medical student from Odisha on October 10, in a forested area near a private medical college in Durgapur, West Burdwan district.
Based on the victim’s complaint, police initially arrested five local youths, later revealing that only one of them was directly involved in the physical assault. The victim’s male friend was subsequently taken into custody after his statements were found to be inconsistent during interrogation.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, urging swift and impartial action against all those responsible.
