In a dramatic turn that underscores the weight of familial duty amid criminal reckoning, the elder sister of a fugitive suspect in the brutal gang rape of a medical student in West Bengal’s Durgapur played a pivotal role in his capture. Rozina Sk, driven by a resolve to uphold the family’s honor, tipped off authorities and guided them to her brother, Safiq Sk, leading to his arrest in the early hours of Monday.
The incident, which shocked the community, unfolded on October 10 when the victim was allegedly assaulted by a group of five men. Safiq, the primary accused and a father of two, had evaded capture for days following the attack. Acting on Rozina’s cooperation, a police team lay in wait beneath a bridge in Durgapur, where Safiq had agreed to rendezvous with his sister. He was apprehended without resistance upon arrival.
This breakthrough came on the heels of another arrest that same day: Sk Nasiruddin, whose motorcycle was purportedly used by the perpetrators to escape the scene. With these detentions, all five suspects are now behind bars, according to police statements. The remaining trio—Sk Riyazuddin, Apu Barui, and Firdaus Sk—had been taken into custody just a day earlier, on Sunday.
Safiq and Nasiruddin were swiftly brought before a local court on Monday, where a magistrate ordered their remand to police custody for a nine-day period to facilitate further investigation.
Speaking to The Times of India (TOI) from the family’s modest home in Birja village, Rozina expressed a mix of relief and firm conviction. “I told him he did the right thing by turning himself in,” she recounted. “The family should not be shamed because of him. We may be poor, but we value self-respect. If he is guilty, he should face the consequences. If not, he will be let off. He had never misbehaved with any woman.”
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She also highlighted the toll the ordeal had taken on innocents in the household. “His wife and children have not done anything wrong,” Rozina added. “The daily knocks on our doors by police brought disrepute to the family. Not anymore.”
The case has drawn sharp scrutiny to issues of women’s safety in the region, with authorities vowing a thorough probe to ensure justice for the victim. As the investigation deepens, the arrests mark a critical step toward accountability in this harrowing episode.