Agartala, May 12: A college student was gang-raped in a moving car in the West Tripura district, leading to widespread protests in the state.
Three persons, including the driver of the vehicle, were arrested for the heinous crime, and the police recovered Rs. 90 lahks from the house of one of the accused. The victim’s condition is said to be critical, and she is undergoing treatment at GB Hospital.
The incident took place when the 20-year-old student was returning from her college on the outskirts of West Tripura on Monday afternoon.
The prime accused, Gautam Sharma, who was known as the victim for five months, picked her up from her college, and they roamed the town. Late in the night, Sharma and his friends allegedly raped the victim at a school ground near her house and fled the spot.
The victim’s mother stated that her daughter was returning home when Gautam offered her a lift. There were three others in the car, and all four of them raped her daughter inside the moving vehicle and abandoned her along the bypass road.
The police officials confirmed that Gautam Sharma was the prime accused and the driver of the car in which the crime was committed. He was arrested soon after the incident, along with co-accused Sudip Chetri. The third accused, identified as Ptadenjit Paul, was arrested on Thursday.
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The police officials said that they have seized suspected items like log books, IPL batting logs, and some documents of money laundering cases from the possession of the accused. A laptop and ATM cards were also recovered from Paul’s possession.
The police have filed a separate case under the gambling act for money laundering. They said that prima facie evidence proves the involvement of Prasenjit Paul in the rape case as well. However, they are investigating the matter in a detailed manner.
Following the incident, various organisations, including students and women’s bodies, staged protests in Tripura, demanding stringent action against the accused.
The incident has once again highlighted the need for the government and society to take strict action against sexual offenders.
It is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure the safety and security of citizens, especially women, and to make sure that justice is served in such cases. Society must also stand up and demand that such heinous crimes do not go unpunished.
