Kolkata, 15 October (H.S.): In a major development in the alleged gang rape case of a Durgapur Medical College student, the police have arrested the victim’s male friend, Wasif Ali, aged 23. Wasif is also a second-year student at the same medical college.

According to police sources, Wasif took the victim to a forested area about a kilometer from the college campus after 9 p.m. on Friday, the night of the incident.

The police detained Wasif early Saturday morning when he brought the injured student to the college's emergency ward. Durgapur Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Gupta said that several of Wasif's statements did not match the facts, especially after the reconstruction of the crime scene on Tuesday.

The victim's father had named five people in his complaint, but the police confirmed the sixth arrest on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Asansol Durgapur Police Commissioner Sunil Chaudhary said in a press conference late Tuesday evening that this was not a case of gang rape; the crime was committed by a single person. According to Chaudhary, the medical examination report did not confirm gang rape. The police also seized Wasif's clothes on Wednesday.

However, the five young men arrested earlier by the police were produced in court and remanded under sections of gang rape and common intention (Sections 70(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita). The police said that the presence of these five was established during the reconstruction of the crime scene, and the victim's mobile phone was recovered from one of the accused.

The Police Commissioner stated that they have arrested all five accused. The role of the victim's friend is still under investigation. He is being repeatedly questioned, and some of his statements are still under scrutiny.

However, Chaudhary ruled out any possibility of handing over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Legal experts believe that concluding that it was not a gang rape based solely on the medical report is insufficient. According to Section 70 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, if one person commits rape and others assist him with the same intention, all of them may be held guilty of the offence of gang rape.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey