A 21-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped by five-six youths inside a truck, looted of her belongings and then dropped in a deserted place in the city, police said today.
A drug addict was arrested this evening in connection with the crime which took place last night, Kolkata Police Commissioner S K Purakayastha said. He was identified as Mohammad Hamid alias Raja.
The incident took place when the woman, an employee of a mall in the southern part of the city and hails from Kulgachia in Howrah district, was returning home along with her friends around 9 pm.
Police said the woman and her friends hired a taxi to Park Circus where she dropped her companions and then took it to Kidderpore from where she intended to catch a bus to Howrah.
At that time, a car stopped by her side and five or six youths pulled her inside brandishing a knife. The car then sped off to a deserted area nearby where the youths dragged her inside a vacant lorry and took turns in raping her.
The victim in an unconscious state was dumped near Babughat by the Ganga early in the morning. After regaining consciousness, the girl went to the Howrah station and from there she called her relatives, police said.
Later, she was taken to the Howrah State General Hospital from where she was shifted to a private super speciality hospital Belle Vue Clinic. Kolkata Police Commissioner Surojit Kar Purokyastha met the victim at the clinic.
Police is checking CCTV footage and a team of Kolkata Police Detective Department is looking into the case.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee promised stern action against the culprits.
"I have directed the administration to immediately arrest the culprits and take stringent action against them. The culprits will not be spared," she told newspersons in Siliguri.
The girl, who was in a critical condition, was shifted to Belle Vue Clinic after a direction from Banerjee, who also said the treatment would be taken care of by her government.
