Kolkata, Oct 13 (NationPress) The West Bengal Police apprehended the fifth suspect linked to the Durgapur gang-rape incident on Monday, bringing the total number of arrests to five, as confirmed by officials.

The suspect, identified as Sheikh Safiqul, a resident of the area, was captured in Durgapur.

As per police reports, Safiqul had been evading capture by hiding at a relative’s home nearby. Both he and Sheikh Nasiruddin, who was arrested on Sunday night, are scheduled to appear before the Durgapur Sub-Divisional Court later today, where authorities will request their custody.

The day prior, three additional suspects -- Sheikh Reajuddin, Firdos Sheikh, and Apu Bauri -- were detained and are currently in a 10-day police custody. Subsequently, another individual was also arrested.

Now that all five identified suspects are in custody, investigators are preparing to interrogate them collectively and plan to conduct a crime scene reconstruction in the wooded area adjacent to the private medical college where the alleged incident occurred.

Authorities indicated that DNA testing will be performed on all arrested individuals, and arrangements are underway for the procedure.

This case was initiated following a complaint from a second-year medical student from Odisha, who reported being gang-raped on Friday night outside her college campus in Durgapur.

According to the victim's account, she and a male friend had gone out for dinner when they were confronted by a group of men on motorcycles who made lewd comments.

The group allegedly separated her from her friend, dragged her into a nearby wooded area, and gang-raped her. They also stole her mobile phone and discarded it before fleeing the scene.

Her friend later returned to the location with other students and found her injured. She was subsequently transported to a local hospital, where she is receiving medical care.

Police have stated that the male friend remains in detention for questioning to corroborate his statements and clarify the sequence of events.