Fresh revenge angle in rape

TT, 24 Oct 2018, Jalpaiguri: Investigators believe a tribal woman at a Dhupguri village was raped by her husband's nephew out of revenge as she had deposed against the accused in another sexual assault case.

Till now, the police thought Ratnu Munda had raped the woman as the two had a land dispute.

"In 2011, a girl from the same area had filed a police complaint, accusing Ratnu and two others of raping her. The incident happened on August 25, 2011. Based on the complaint, the accused were arrested and later got bail. The case is still pending in court. The Dhupguri woman is among those who deposed as witnesses against Ratnu. This might be another reason that made Ratnu commit the crime," a police source said on Tuesday.

The investigators said they were focussing on the vengeance angle as Ratnu had inserted an iron rod in the Dhupguri woman after the rape.

"We had learnt about the dispute over ancestral land between the families of the victim and Ratnu but felt that there might be some other reason also. Then, we searched records and came across the old case. We are exploring all angles and interrogating Ratnu whether the victim's deposition against him was a reason for the rape," the source said.

On Monday evening, the police took Ratnu and co-accused Parimal Roy to the crime spot on the bank of the Gilandi stream to reconstruct the incident.

The police recovered the sharp iron rod from the spot during the collection of evidence.

"We have come to know from local people that although Ratnu was arrested earlier in a rape case, he appeared unperturbed and was known for his arrogance in the vil- lage. It seems he is a hardcore criminal," said a police officer.

On Monday evening, Anand Kumar, inspector-general of police (north Bengal), Kallol Ganai, the DIG of Jalpaiguri range, visited Dhupguri with Jalpaiguri SP Amitabha Maiti and other officers. They held a meeting to discuss the progress of the case, said sources.

"Parimal Roy, the other accused, has been claiming that he was not involved in the incident but the victim dragged him to the case. We are trying to find out the fact. The victim will also be produced before a magistrate to get her statement recorded," said Maiti.