Kolkata gangrape case: Accused got inhaler for victim, then continued assault; CCTV footage confirms | India News

NEW DELHI: In a disturbing detail that has emerged from the gangrape case at South Calcutta Law College, police said CCTV footage confirmed that one of the accused, Zaib Ahmed, left the crime scene briefly to buy an inhaler for the victim. He went to a medical store to buy inhaler after she pleaded for relief from breathlessness during the alleged assault.According to investigators, the footage from a nearby medical shop showed Zaib purchasing the inhaler at the victim’s request, following her deteriorating condition inside the security guard’s room where the assault took place on the evening of June 25.“The victim said she had begged for medical help after falling ill during the torture. The accused denied taking her to a hospital but did get her an inhaler from a pharmacy. She felt better temporarily, but the torture continued,” a senior officer told news agency PTI.The pharmacy owner told police that Zaib attempted to split the payment, partly in cash and partly through UPI, but eventually paid the full amount online. Investigators have documented the transaction and matched it with the time of the assault.Meanwhile, medical reports have revealed fresh nail scratch marks on the body of the prime accused, Monojit Mishra, indicating the victim put up resistance during the attack. “Such injuries are consistent with a struggle,” a police source told PTI.The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has uncovered that Monojit contacted the college’s vice principal, Dr Nayna Chatterji, the morning after the incident. The two have since been questioned regarding their conversation.Investigators are also questioning 16 individuals, mostly students, seen in the college premises via CCTV footage after class hours on June 25. Six were interrogated on Tuesday.Kolkata police commissioner Manoj Verma confirmed that digital, circumstantial, and medical evidence gathered so far aligns with the victim’s official complaint. “The matter is extremely sensitive. But I can confirm that arrests were made within 12 hours of the FIR,” he said.Three men, Monojit Mishra, Zaib Ahmed, and Pramit Mukhopadhyay, are in custody, along with a security guard, Pinaki Bandyopadhyay, who was on duty during the assault. Police have sought a 10-day extension of their remand.Additionally the police custody of the three acussed has been extended till July 8.