NEW DELHI: Police in West Bengal have ruled out gang-rape in the Durgapur medical student assault case, saying that one of the five arrested accused committed sexual assault, while the involvement of others is still being investigated.According to ANI, Kolkata police said, “We have found that physical sexual assault has been committed by one of the accused persons and what is the involvement of all these 5 are being investigated.”Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Choudhary told ANI, “…Till now, we have arrested 5 accused persons whose presence has been established at the place of occurrence on the day of the crime. We have also recovered a mobile phone which was snatched by the accused persons. All the important parts in investigation, including reconstruction of scene of crime, gathering technical and scientific evidence, visit of FSL for collection of evidence, seizure of wearing apparel, medico-legal examination of accused persons have been done. The reports are still awaited. Till now, as per the technical and scientific evidence collected and statement of the victim girl. The friend of victim girl who was also present at the PO, apart from these 5 accused persons, his role is also not beyond doubt. We are investigating his role also. We have examined him several times…”According to PTI, investigators reconstructed the crime scene on Tuesday afternoon with the five arrested accused and the friend of the victim at a jungle near the private medical college where the woman studies. “They were taken to the crime spot for reconstruction of the crime scene. The entire process was videographed in the presence of an IPS officer. We will corroborate their version with that of the victim,” a senior officer who is part of the probe told PTI.Before the reconstruction exercise, police questioned the victim’s friend for nearly an hour. Investigators are also probing his role, as he had accompanied the woman outside the campus for dinner on the night of the incident.The second-year MBBS student, a native of Jaleswar in Odisha, was allegedly assaulted outside the Durgapur private medical college campus on Friday night.Meanwhile, police conducted searches at the homes of two of the five arrested accused on Tuesday morning to recover evidence possibly linked to the 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, clothes belonging to the other three arrested accused were also seized. “These clothes will be sent for forensic examination. The results will help in our investigation,” the officer added.Mobile phones recovered from the accused have also been sent for tests. Police are questioning fellow students of the victim as part of the investigation. Later in the day, the five accused were to be taken for medical examination, the officer said.(With inputs from news agency ANI and PTI)
