2 more held in Bangladeshi woman gang-rape case for 'filming' act

Two more Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested in the brutal gang rape case of a compatriot in Bengaluru last month.

In all, 12 people, including three women, have been arrested in the case that came to light after the suspects filmed the act and circulated the video to their contacts in Northeast India and Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, police arrested a man named Ashraf Mondal, who is accused of running a racket to traffic women to India for prostitution.

The latest suspects to be arrested — Jamal, 25, and Azim, 24 — were among those who had filmed the brutal assault and gang rape, and egged on the culprits, police said.

Also read: Prime accused in Bangladeshi woman gang-rape case shot at by cops in Bengaluru

The victim had been trafficked into India on the promise of a decent job but was pushed into prostitution. Later on, she had a financial dispute with the suspects and gone to Kozhikode to stay with a friend. The suspects convinced her to come back to Bengaluru, and assaulted and gang-raped her on May 19 and 20 at their house.

The viral video initially drew the police in Northeast India and Bangladesh as they believe the crime happened in their jurisdiction. But the woman’s relatives in Bangladesh later told the local police that she was in Bengaluru.

That’s how the Bengaluru police came into the picture. They traced the gang’s house in Ramamurthy Nagar and arrested four suspects. More arrests were made over the next few days. The police also brought back the woman from Kozhikode, where she had taken shelter, and took her statement.

Eight videos shot

Police believe there are a total of eight videos of the incident, only one of which was shared widely on social media. “We have all the videos and will submit them to the court as evidence,” said a senior police officer who’s part of the investigation.

On Wednesday, police shot the main suspect, identified as Sobuj, when he allegedly tried to escape from their custody. He, too, had recorded the video. His phone containing the video has been seized, the officer added.

On May 28, two of the arrested suspects, Ridoy Babo, 25, and Rakibul Islam, 23, were allegedly shot by the police during the recreation of the crime scene. They are in hospital.

On Thursday, all the suspects, except those in hospital, recored their statement before the magistrate. The victim recored her statement on Wednesday.