KOLKATA: A 25-year-old assistant manager at a nationalised bank and her friend were allegedly harassed, molested and assaulted by notorious local criminals on a Lake Town Road, where they were waiting for a cab two weeks ago. No one reportedly helped the victims.
Prime accused Samir Bardhan (40), who has criminal records, was arrested on Tuesday after the women could finally manage to lodge a complaint at the Lake Town police station on Sunday. They had to wait and take the help of a lawyer as police had allegedly cited jurisdiction dispute initially. a manhunt is on for Bardhan’s associate.
The victim said on September 25, she had left her friend’s PGA at Kalindi in Lake Town to fetch a cab when the accused started harassing her. She had shot back when the tormentors reportedly threatened her with rape and torture with an iron rod. They even allegedly tried to drag her to a corner.
“My friend’s brother tried to rescue me but they punched him and slapped us. They even beat us up with a rod and wooden planks . When two more friends joined us, they were also beaten up. We were on the road in pain when the accused demanded the men in our group should leave us to them. One of them even dared us to complain against him as he was a local tough,” she said.
Later, the accused left and the women took a cab to RG Kar from where they went to a private hospital in south Kolkata. They were advised hospitalisation but they left after signing a risk bond.
“We scanned CCTV images and traced Bardhan to Dum Dum on Tuesday. We are looking for the other person,” said a Bidhannagar Commissionerate officer.
