5 remanded to judicial custody in minor gang-rape case

A city court on Monday rejected the bail prayers of five persons accused in the gang-rape case of a 12-year-old girl and remanded them to judicial custody till February 24.

Second Additional judge, POCSO court, Alipore, Sonia Majumdar sent the five to judicial remand. They were earlier in police custody following their arrest.

Four of them were accused of raping the girl, while the fifth one - the owner of the house where the incident took place - was charged with abetment to the crime.

Opposing their bail prayer, public prosecutor Radha Kanta Mukherjee submitted that it is a heinous crime of gangraping a class VII student and investigations are in a nascent stage.

Enlarging them on bail would impact the probe, Mukherjee told the court.

Judge Majumdar then rejected their bail prayer.

The incident occurred at a house in Ekbalpore area of the city on Thursday. The four rape-accused were arrested on Friday while the owner of the house was nabbed later.

All of the five accused were booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.