Women ‘gang raped’ while returning home with husband, 5 arrested

A case has been filed against five people on allegations of their involvement in an incident of kidnap and gang-rape of a housewife, 19, who was returning home from in-law’s house with her husband in Laksham, Cumilla.

The victim’s mother filed the case with Laksham police station on Saturday.

The police conducted a raid on Sunday and arrested five accused, Laksham police station officer-in-charge Naznin Sultana told Prothom Alo Monday morning.

They were produced before a Cumilla court this morning.

Police and local sources said a housewife and her husband from Sonapur area in Noakhali went to the house of her grandfather-in-law in Laksham Thursday. The couple hired a CNG-run auto-rickshaw from Bypass intersection in Laksham pourashava early Friday morning.

Auto-rickshaw driver Md Masud wanted to know whether they were husband and wife. Later, he tricked them to go to Gondamara in Laksham. There he checked the couple’s luggage and took them to Mogbari in Lalmai upazila. There Masud threw away the husband and took the housewife to an abandoned house in the Paikpara area of Laksham pourashava.

According to the case statement, accused Masud and Mohammad Ali raped the woman there. Later, the two took the victim to the rented house of Bilkis Akter aka Kalpana at ward no. 8 of Laksham pourashava and raped her again. On that day, the housewife’s family rescued her with the help of local people.

Later on Saturday night, the victim’s mother filed a case with Laksham police station.

Investigation officer of the case and Laksham police station inspector Anwar Hossain told Prothom Alo, “We started the drive immediately after receiving the complaint of the victim’s family. Later, the accused were arrested from different areas of Laksham yesterday (Sunday). The arrested were sent to a court in Cumilla. Two persons raped the woman while others collude with them.”

The IO further said that the accused and the victim are not acquainted.