Kolkata, Oct 22: All six accused in the Durgapur gang-rape case will be produced before a court on Wednesday, with the police likely to seek an extension of their custody for further investigations in the case.

According to the police, the arrested male friend of the victim, Wasif Ali, will be produced before the court along with the other accused in the case.

Sources said there are discrepancies in statements provided by the accused persons, including the male friend of the victim, which posed challenges before investigators in conducting the probe. Therefore, there is a need to extend the custody of the accused to fill the gaps in the investigation process, sources said.

On Tuesday, the statements of two of the six accused in connection with the rape case of the second-year medical student were recorded before the judicial magistrate at a court.

Insiders from the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate said the statements of two were recorded under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, which allows a judicial magistrate to record confessions and statements from an accused person or witness during an investigation.

After the statements were recorded in front of the judicial magistrate on Tuesday, the two accused persons were sent back to custody. Now, with the statements of two of the six accused persons being recorded in front of the judicial magistrate, there is a possibility that the two might turn approvers in the case.

During the six-day questioning, the police have found discrepancies in the statements of the Durgapur gang-rape victim’s male friend and five arrested youths from the local village. The police are trying to find some missing links in this gang-rape case, officials said.

On October 10, the second-year medical student from Odisha was allegedly gang-raped by five persons in a forested area outside a private medical college and hospital in West Burdwan district’s Durgapur.

Based on the complaint lodged by the victim, the police earlier arrested all five accused persons in the case. The police said that only one person was involved in the physical sexual assault of the medical student. Later, the police arrested the male friend of the victim. The male friend was arrested after investigators found inconsistencies in his response during interrogation. He is also currently in police custody.

The victim’s father, meanwhile, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident to punish the culprits quickly.

Mumbai: A BMW car accident occurred late on Tuesday night on the Southbound stretch of the Mumbai Coastal Road near Tardeo, raising renewed concerns about speeding and road safety on the city’s newest sea-facing corridor. The luxury vehicle reportedly lost control before hitting a side barrier. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The car was later removed from the site to avoid further obstruction. While the exact cause of the accident is yet to be confirmed, early indications suggest that rash or careless driving may have played a role.

Though an official statement from the Mumbai Police has not yet been issued, officers are expected to initiate a detailed investigation into the incident. CCTV footage from the Coastal Road should be reviewed to determine whether the driver was speeding or violating lane discipline.

Authorities are likely to take strict action if negligence or reckless driving is found, in line with the recently reinforced citywide road safety measures. The Coastal Road, which was opened to traffic earlier this year, has already seen a number of cases involving overspeeding and lane violations.

The Mumbai Coastal Road, with its smooth surface and open curves, has become a favourite route for many drivers. However, officials have repeatedly warned that the stretch is not designed for high-speed racing. Sudden turns, narrow exits, and merging lanes require drivers to maintain steady speeds and avoid abrupt manoeuvres.

The incident serves as another reminder of the risks associated with reckless driving on Mumbai’s new road infrastructure. With the Coastal Road project still expanding, authorities are expected to tighten enforcement and increase patrolling to discourage rash driving.

Motorists are urged to exercise caution, follow traffic rules, and treat the Coastal Road as a public utility meant for safe and efficient travel — not as a stretch for testing speed.

Mumbai: A 57-year-old man from Ulhasnagar fell victim to an online share trading scam and ended up losing Rs1.14 crore, Thane police reported. On August 22, the complainant received a call from a woman promoting an investment opportunity in share trading. She directed him to join a WhatsApp group for trading tips and tricked him into downloading a fraudulent trading app.

Initially, the complainant successfully transferred small amounts from the app to his bank account, gaining trust in the platform. Between August 27 and September 26, he transferred Rs1.14 crore to various beneficiary accounts. The app later displayed his earnings at Rs11.29 crore, but his attempts to withdraw Rs50 lakh were denied. The scammers demanded an additional Rs2.26 crore as a service fee, prompting him to realise that he had been deceived.

On Sunday, the victim approached Thane police, who registered a case under sections 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by personation using computer resources) of the Information Technology Act.