Kolkata, Aug 2 (PTI): A 62-year-old woman has lost her fight for life, about a month after she was allegedly raped by five people, who inserted an iron rod and a broken bottle in her private parts, and the prime accused has been arrested, the police said on Tuesday.

The alleged incident of gangrape had taken place on July 4 when the woman was alone at her residence at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district of the state, they said.

She died in a state-run hospital in Kolkata on Monday, the police said.

"The miscreants had inserted an iron rod and a broken bottle into her private parts to kill her after the gangrape. They had thrown her outside her house into the bushes assuming her to be dead," said a senior police officer quoting the woman's statement to the police.

Doctors had conducted several surgeries but the elderly woman succumbed to her injuries, hospital sources said. "Her injuries were grave. Her private parts were brutally damaged by the broken bottle stuck inside. Doctors had a tough time in conducting operations. She suffered too much pain and finally succumbed late on Monday night," a senior doctor of the hospital said.

The woman used to run a roadside food stall near Sandeshkhali police station, her elder son, who lives elsewhere, said, adding she had returned home at around 10 pm. Her younger son, who lives in the same house, had gone to his in-law's place and the woman was sitting in the balcony past midnight when the accused along with four others caught hold of her from the back, the police officer said.

They then tied and raped her before the heinous torture, he said, adding the woman's body was handed over to her family members on Tuesday evening. A case was registered in the matter on July 5 and the prime accused, who was named by the victim, was arrested on July 6 and sent to judicial custody, the police said.

West Bengal Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Anuj Sharma said, "Police are looking into the case very seriously. Strict action will be taken against those who are guilty."

State Women Commission Chairperson Leena Ganguly said the panel would file a suo motu case if the victim's family lodge a complaint of police negligence in conducting probe into the incident. We will have to look into the role of the police. If laxity is observed on part of the police in nabbing the culprits, we will take up a suo motu case in this regard. We are yet to get any complaint from the family members," Ganguly said.