Tripura cop, his friend held for 'raping' and 'trying to kill' woman

AGARTALA: A police constable and his friend were arrested on Wednesday on charges of attempting to murder a middle-aged woman after raping her on outskirts of the city.
The accused have been identified as constable Pritam Bhowmik, a resident of Katlamara of northern Agartala and Raju Bhattacharjee, a resident of Aralia in the city. The woman has been shifted to Agartala Govt Medical College (AGMC) with injuries.
DIG (Southern Range) Arindam Nath said, "We are investigating the case and both the arrested persons have been forwarded to court. An investigation is on. We arrested the culprits within a few hours of the crime."
Sources in the police said the woman in question was divorced 12 years ago and had been staying in Renters' Colony near the Agartala railway station alone. Police are yet to ascertain her profession.
In her FIR, the woman complained that two unidentified youths boarded the auto in which she was travelling and molested her on the three-wheeler by asking the driver to take the vehicle to an unknown destination using a different route. She alleged that she was then taken to a deserted place where Pritam and Raju raped her for more than an hour.
Before leaving the spot, the duo allegedly attacked her with sharp weapons that left her unconscious. Later in the evening, when she regained consciousness, the woman took shelter in a nearby house. She was later shifted to hospital and police was informed. But police are yet to corroborate the statement of the victim that she was taken to an unknown place in an auto from the city by unidentified persons. Police claimed that there was an argument between the woman and Pritam over some financial transaction. The cops added that the woman was attacked by the accused persons in the Malaynagar area of the city, leaving her seriously injured.