Kolkata woman raped in cab

A 26-year-old housewife was raped in a moving cab on Thursday night. Police have arrested the accused on Friday. Four months ago an Anglo Indian woman was raped in a similar manner.

“The 26 year old victim has lodged a complaint that she was raped inside a moving car by the driver late Thursday night. Acting on her complaint we arrested Mumtaz Khan, who has confessed to the crime,” confirmed an officer of Entally police station in central Kolkata, where the complaint was lodged.

A resident of Barrackpore in the northern fringes of Kolkata, the woman said in her complaint that she hailed a cab at Rabindra Sadan in south Kolkata to return home after visiting a relative admitted at SSKM Hospital.

The driver, who was later accompanied by a friend, drove towards Chittaranjan Avenue in central Kolkata, where he allegedly raped her inside the cab.

The friend tried to stop the driver from committing the crime, but failed, the complaint further stated.

Habib Khan, the driver’s friend, later helped the police trace Mumtaz Khan, who was arrested on Friday morning from his residence in Park Circus, police said.

Khan also snatched a gold chain and Rs 3,000 from the woman before dumping her at Entally in central Kolkata.

She took help from police patrolling the area to lodge the complaint, the officer said.
The rape of the Anglo-Indian woman in February had made headlines after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjhee dubbed the incident “fabricated”.

She was later proved wrong when police cracked the case arresting three of the five offenders, though the prime accused is still at large. Police said the woman would be medically examined and the driver will be produced in the court tomorrow.