3 held in rape of MBBS student in Bengal after police trace suspects through mobile towers

In a swift breakthrough, West Bengal Police have arrested three men in connection with the alleged rape of a second-year MBBS student of a private medical college in Durgapur, barely 36 hours after the assault shocked the Paschim Bardhaman district.

According to officials from the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, the arrests were made after investigators tracked the mobile tower locations of the suspects and conducted overnight drone-assisted searches in the forested area behind the college campus.

The accused, reportedly from nearby villages, are expected to be produced before the Durgapur court on Sunday, where police will seek their remand for further questioning.

The alleged assault took place late on October 10, when the 20-year-old student, who hails from Balasore in Odisha, stepped out of the campus with a male friend. She was reportedly dragged into a wooded area behind the college and raped.

The survivor was rushed to a local hospital and is said to be in stable condition, though she remains deeply traumatized. Police are also probing whether more individuals were involved in the crime and if the male companion accompanying her played any role in the incident.

Search operations continued through October 10 night, with police deploying drones to comb dense areas near the campus. “We used mobile tower data to narrow down movements of the accused, which led to crucial leads and multiple detentions before the arrests,” a senior officer said.

West Bengal’s Principal Health Secretary, Narayan Swaroop Nigam, confirmed that the Director of Medical Education has been directed to submit a detailed report from the college while the case remains under active investigation.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognizance of the case and sought an action-taken report from state authorities within five days.