Behrampore, Sept. 10: A Murshidabad woman was today raped by four youths who tied her hands and assaulted her in front of her two sons as one of the assailants held a sickle to the victim’s throat.

The rape of the mother of two in Murshidabad occurred on a day four men were found guilty of the fatal gang rape of a young paramedical student on a bus in New Delhi, a charge that could see them hanged.

The 28-year-old woman had gone to her mother’s house last week and had kept the door open today to let the breeze come into the room. In her complaint to police, the lady said she would be able to identify the four youths if they were produced before her.

A medical test conducted at Behrampore Sadar Hospital confirmed rape. “We have found evidence of rape in our examination. We will submit a report to the police soon,” a doctor said, refusing to divulge details.

Murshidabad superintendent of police Humayun Kabir said: “We have started an investigation. However, we are yet to arrest anybody.”

The woman, who is married to a labourer in Patna, had come to her mother’s house along with her two sons — one aged three years and the other eight months.

Villagers said the woman’s mother worked as a domestic help in Calcutta and had been staying with her daughter in Murshidabad. But yesterday, she had gone to collect her monthly salary. She returned from Calcutta this morning.

The victim said: “I was sleeping with my two sons and had kept the door open as it was very hot last night. Around 2.30am today, four youths, must be in their late twenties, barged in and jolted me out of sleep. They tied up my hands and one of them held a sickle to my throat threatening to kill me if I shouted. Then, they raped me taking turns.”

The woman said her elder son sobbed helplessly while she was being assaulted.

The gang bolted the door from outside while leaving the single-room house.

“After they left, I tried to go out and call my cousin who lives barely 10 metres away. But I could not open the door as they had bolted it from outside,” she said.

The victim shouted out to her cousin at the top of her voice, which alerted neighbours. The lady’s brother rushed in along with his family around 3.30am.

“I found the door bolted from outside. When I entered the house, I saw my sister crying. I gave her water to drink but couldn’t stop her from crying,” the woman’s brother said.

The cousin, along with a group of villagers, went to the local police station and informed the cops.

“The police arrived early in the morning and accepted an FIR lodged by my sister,” the brother said.

Several villagers accused the police of delay in arriving.

A district police officer said: “The police did not waste any time and started for the village immediately after being informed about the incident.”

Benoy Karmakar, a villager, said: “We were feeling very agitated, Never had any such crime taken place in our village. We asked the police to increase vigil in the area.”