Kolkata woman alleges gang-rape by two acquaintances on birthday, accused absconding

The accused have been identified as Chandan Malik and Deep Biswas, India Today reported.

Biswas is, reportedly, employed in a government office, according to NDTV.

Both the accused are absconding after the crime.

According to local media reports, the survivor is a resident of Haridevpur in South Kolkata’s Tollygunge area.

The victim alleged that the assault took place after Chandan invited her to Deep’s residence under the pretext of celebrating her birthday, reported NDTV.

"The woman's birthday was on Friday. On that occasion, the accused Chandan and Deep took the victim to the latter's flat. On arriving, she noticed there was no one in the apartment except the two men. There, they had a meal. She said when she wanted to return home, the accused stopped her. They allegedly locked the door and gang-raped her," NDTV quoted police sources as saying.

The woman managed to escape around 10.30 am on Saturday, police said.

She then returned home and narrated the ordeal to her family, after which an FIR was lodged under relevant sections later the same day.

Bengali daily Ananda Bazar reported that the FIR was filed at Haridevpur Police Station.

A massive manhunt has been launched for the accused who went missing after the alleged crime, police said.

In her complaint, the survivor mentioned she had met Chandan a few months earlier when he introduced himself as the head of a prominent Durga Puja committee in south Kolkata.

Through him, she came to know Deep, and the three had remained in contact.

The two accused had also promised to involve her in the puja committee, she said.

Notably, the incident comes just two months after a first-year student was gangraped by three men inside the premises of South Calcutta Law College aided by a security guard employed in the campus.

The accused were arrested soon but not without prompting a backlash over renewed scrutiny of the law-and-order situation and deteriorating women's safety in the state.

Police have filed a chargesheet, naming the four accused in the case.