A young woman from Haryana has alleged she was gang-raped in the city three years ago, when she was a minor.

She did not lodge a complaint then because the men allegedly threatened to harm her teenage brother. She had come to visit a distant relative in Calcutta and was allegedly gang-raped by two men of the family.

She recently filed a complaint with the Haryana police.

The Haryana police started a zero FIR and have now forwarded the case to Hastings police station in Calcutta.

A case has been drawn up under sections of gang-rape, criminal intimidation and causing hurt by poisoning, as well as sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso).

A senior officer of Kolkata Police’s south division said they received the zero FIR and have started a probe. “However, we have not been able to establish the spot where the alleged incident happened. We have contacted Haryana’s Sonipat police, and requested that the woman be called to Calcutta so she can take us to the place of occurrence.”

A zero FIR can be started in any part of the country, irrespective of the offence taking place in the jurisdiction of the police station registering it.

Senior officers said for a cognizable offence, a zero FIR can be started in any part of the country and then forwarded to the jurisdiction of thepolice station where the incident happened.

According to the complaint received by Kolkata Police, the woman — who said she was around 16 years old in 2022 and was pursuing a distance education course — came to Calcutta on the offer of her own sister’s sister-in-law. The woman’s sister had got married the same year.

“The sister-in-law (name withheld) of her sister had offered to accompany the young girl to Calcutta. The girl accepted the offer and came... According to the complaint, the brother of her sister’s husband, and the sister’s sister-in-law’s husband gang-raped the girl after serving her drinks laced with sedatives,” said an officer of Kolkata Police.

The woman has alleged that when she protested, the men threatened to harm her brother, who was 13 in 2022.

She has told the police that her sister’s husband’s brother allegedly promised to marry her, which was another reason for her not lodging a complaint.

When the husband’s brother did not keep the alleged promise, the woman lodged the complaint with Murthal police station in Haryana on May 8. Murthal police station started the zero FIR, which was transferred to Kolkata Police.

Officers in the city said they had received the phone number of at least one of the two accused men.

“We are trying to track the man using his mobile number,” said an officer.