Three arrested over gang-rape of teen

Police arrested three youths on charge of raping a 16-year-old girl from a local arbitration organised by a union parishad chairman on Tuesday night in Patiya upazila of Chattogram.

The incident came to light after Kolgaon union parishad chairman Ahmed Nur arranged the meeting on his Bagan Bari premises to “mediate” the rape incident, said law enforcers.

The arrestees are Erfan, 26; Mansur, 19; and Suman, 27.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Borhan Uddin of Patiya Police Station said seven youths including the three arrestees intercepted an auto-rickshaw carrying the victim and the two teenage boys in the Kalarpole area around midnight on Monday, while they were returning home.

The culprits forcibly picked up the girl from the auto-rickshaw, beat up the two teenagers and the driver. They took her to a nearby jungle and raped her, added the OC.

After the incident, the victim’s family informed the chairman, and he told the victim’s family to come to his house for arbitration with the accused, added Borhan Uddin.

The OC said the victim’s family followed the directives of the chairman and attended the meeting, where the accused were also present.

On information, police conducted a drive there and arrested the three. They also took the victim to police custody for medical tests, said the OC, adding that four other culprits managed to escape.

Police sent the victim to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for medical tests, while the victim’s mother filed a case in this connection, added the OC.

Contacted, chairman Ahmed Nur denied the allegation, saying that after learning of the incident on Monday, he suggested the victim’s mother to file a case.

“They [the victim and the accused] were asked to the spot in a bid to identify the culprits,” he claimed.

Source: The Daily Star