Woman allegedly gang-raped in custody by 5 Khulna cops

A 21-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped in custody by five members of the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Khulna on Friday night.

The accused policemen include Khulna railway police’s Officer-in-Charge Osman Gani.

Victim’s brother-in-law Shahabuddin Matubbar said his sister-in-law had been travelling to Khulna by train on August 2 when GRP members detained her on suspicion at the Khulna Rail Station at around 7pm.

She was gang-raped by the police officials in custody at midnight, Shahabuddin alleged.

The police produced the woman before a Khulna court on Saturday for possessing five bottles of contraband phensedyl.

The woman told the Khulna judicial magistrate that she had been gang-raped by the five police officials.

After hearing the incident, the court directed the authorities to send her to Khulna Medical College Hospital for medical check-up on Sunday.

However, the doctors at KMCH did not carry out the check-up on Sunday as the woman had been brought there very late at night. They conducted the check-up on Monday morning.

Shahabuddin further alleged that the OC tried to bribe the victim’s family and later threatened them when they refused to take the money.

Refusing the allegation, OC Osman Gani claimed that the woman had been arrested with phensedyl by a female police sub-inspector and a constable.

“Rape could not have taken place as eight police officials, including three women police officials, guarded her at the police station,” the OC added.

OC Osman Gani claimed that the arrestee was trying to evade the drug case.