Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, Oct 27: A 13-year-old schoolgirl was allegedly abducted, drugged and gang-raped at a hotel in Bandel in West Bengal’s Hooghly district after being lured from North 24 Parganas, police said on Tuesday.

The accused allegedly recorded the assault and later sent the video to the victim’s family to blackmail and intimidate them.

The incident came to light after the girl’s family lodged a complaint at Baguiati Police Station in Kolkata on Tuesday, following which police launched an investigation.

According to police sources, the minor, a resident of the Baguiati area of Kolkata, left home around 3.30 pm on Saturday, October 24, to meet a friend in Birati in North 24 Parganas district.

The complaint alleges that she was abducted from Birati and taken to a hotel in Bandel, where she was forced to consume a cold drink allegedly laced with a narcotic substance before being sexually assaulted by multiple individuals.

When the girl failed to return home by evening, her mother tried contacting her around 8.30 pm. The minor initially told her that she was in Barrackpore with a friend and would return by 11 pm. However, subsequent calls went unanswered.

Later that night, the mother received a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed that he had found the girl crying on the street, taken her to his location and allowed her to use his mobile phone before abruptly disconnecting.

At 12.06 am on Sunday, the girl sent a text message to her mother saying she was in danger and that a friend had taken her to the house of a person identified as ‘Rik’.

Shortly afterwards, another person, identified as Debjit Sarkar, called the mother and assured her that the girl was safe and would be sent home by car.

The minor returned home at around 10.30 am on Sunday in an extremely distressed condition.

When questioned by her family, she allegedly disclosed that she had been taken to an acquaintance’s house, drugged until she lost consciousness, physically tortured and sexually assaulted by several individuals. She also alleged that she had been forcibly administered emergency contraceptive pills.

The complaint further alleges that the accused recorded the assault and subsequently contacted the girl’s mother, sending her the video clip and demanding ransom while threatening the family against approaching the police.

The mother named several individuals in her complaint, including a female friend of her daughter.

Baguiati Police Station has registered a case under relevant provisions relating to abduction, gang rape, extortion and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

No arrests or detentions had been made at the time of reporting. Police said efforts were underway to trace and apprehend all those allegedly involved.