A young woman escaped the alleged captivity of a social media acquaintance in Howrah on Friday and returned to her home in Sodepur, on the city’s northern outskirts, with a fractured arm and severe injuries to her teeth.
The woman, 23, was exhausted mentally following months of alleged physical and mental abuse, her parents told police.
She has been admitted to the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital in Kamarhati.
The cops have drawn up a case against Aryan Khan, a resident of Domjur in Howrah, for allegedly torturing the woman.
Senior officers of the Howrah Police Commissionerate said a case involving alleged sexual assault, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, and several other charges was registered at Domjur police station, based on the complaint handed over by the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate on Saturday afternoon.
Doctors treating her at Sagore Dutta hospital said she was still in trauma. It would take her some time to recover, they said.
“The woman’s statements will be recorded on video when she is in a state to talk. We will coordinate with Domjur police station for the investigation,” said a senior officer of Khardah police station, where the woman’s parents lodged a complaint.
After a preliminary investigation, the police have found that the woman used to work for an event management company.
During her stint at the company, she met Aryan and became friends with him over social media.
The two met on a few occasions, and Aryan offered her a job with another event management company in Howrah, the police said.
The woman’s parents told the police that Aryan took her to his flat in Domjur and introduced her to his mother.
Later, after the woman had taken up the offer and began working for the company, she was allegedly asked to work in a bar in Howrah and engage in dubious activities.
“When the woman refused, she was allegedly confined to an apartment since January,” said an officer of Khardah police station.
“My daughter refused and was severely beaten up. She was hit with a chopper on the back and beaten with an iron rod. Her hips were severely injured, and one of her arms was fractured,” the father said, talking to reporters.
“She was kept confined in an apartment. Recently, she overheard that they were planning to kill her. My daughter managed to slip out of the apartment when they were sleeping,” the father said.
Sources in Khardah police station said the woman’s parents told them that she had been starved for days.
The police said the complaint lodged by the parents and reports from the woman’s medical check-up would be handed to the Howrah Police Commissionerate to help officers probe the case.
“Since the crime was allegedly committed in a place under the jurisdiction of Domjur police station, the Howrah Police Commissionerate will investigate the case,” the police said.
A senior officer of the Howrah Police Commissionerate said: “A search for Aryan led officers to Fakirapara at Bankra in Howrah. Aryan has dumped his two-wheeler and fled. His mother is also missing.”
Sources said Aryan’s house in Domjur has several CCTV cameras installed around it, which help him monitor movement in the area.
“We will arrest the mother and the son soon,” the officer said.