2 arrested in rape of nun from Bengal

Mohammed Salim, referred to as 'boss' by other gang members, was arrested after tracking his conversations on mobile phone. 

After 11 days, the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department arrested two men in the gang rape of a 71-year-old nun during an attack on a convent in West Bengal's Ranaghat, about 100 km from Kolkata.

A man identified as Mohammed Salim was arrested from Mumbai for the alleged robbery and gang rape, while the second arrest of Bangladeshi national Gopal Sarkar was made from Habra, North 24 Parganas on Thursday afternoon.

“The first accused (Salim) was held by tracking his mobile conversations with his associates,” CID sources told Rediff.com. “Moreover, the investigating agency kept talking to some hardened criminals from the area,” they added.

Salim reportedly led the robbery and he was being referred to as 'boss' by other gang members. He could be a Bangladeshi citizen, the sources said. He has confessed to the crime. 

According to the CID sources, two groups of six to seven goons each carried out the robbery and rape at the convent. CCTV footage from the convent has captured four of them. 

After the incident, the accused split into smaller groups and went into hiding in different corners of the country, sources said.

“Salim allegedly led the group that carried out the loot,” CID sources told Rediff.com, adding, “We hope to get important leads about the rapist from him.”

He has been brought to Kolkata for further questioning.

Both the accused have been remanded to 14-day police custody.

Meanwhile, the nun has left for an “undisclosed destination” outside Bengal after she was discharged from the hospital where she was admitted following the assault. 

The West Bengal government had, on March 18, decided to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation after the state CID failed to make an early breakthrough in the case.

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