A month later, police struggle to trace Boragaon gang rape victim

Guwahati, Jan 20: A prolonged manhunt by police to track criminals is common. But Guwahati police continue to grope in the dark in search of a 'victim,' more than a month after an incident of gang rape had come to light in the city. The incident took place in the Boragaon area on November 17, 2024, during the Raas festival at a secluded place under the jurisdiction of the Garchuk police station. It came to light on December 13 after a video of the incident went viral on social media.

And if police fail to find her, it will be hard for the investigators to get a conviction in the case.

"We are trying our best to trace the victim. But till now we have not been able to get any clue about her whereabouts. If the victim does not cooperate with us, it would not be possible to substantiate the case as gang-rape in the court. But we can file a charge sheet against the accused under IT Acts," a senior official of Guwahati police told The Assam Tribune.

A media person first informed the Gorchuk police station about the incident, and thereafter police initiated an investigation. The incident sparked widespread reactions among different sections of the public. Based on the evidence available in the video, police conducted raids in multiple locations in the Boragaon and Jalukbari areas and arrested eight persons. Three days later, police arrested another accused in the case from Dhubri. The arrested persons were identified as Kuldeep Nath, Bijoy Rabha, Pinku Das, Gagan Das, Saurav Boro, Mrinal Rabha, Rabin Das, Dipankar Mukhiya, and Krishna Barman. All the arrested persons are now in judicial custody.

But police are clueless about the identity and whereabouts of the victim. Generally, in a case of gang rape, the victim approaches police seeking justice. But in this peculiar case, the victim has switched off her mobile phone and reportedly left Guwahati after the incident came to light, police said.

It has been alleged that one of the accused took the victim to his dwelling before taking her to the crime spot. Thereafter, the other accused came to the place and committed the crime.

By-

Manash Pratim Dutta