CBI arrests Bengal violence rape accused from Ghaziabad

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an absconding accused in a 2021 rape case linked to post-poll violence during the West Bengal Assembly elections.

The accused, Usman Ali, was traced near a mosque in Ilaychipur, Ghaziabad, where he had been hiding. According to a senior CBI officer, the case was registered on August 30, 2021, based on allegations that on May 4, 2021, Usman Ali forcibly entered a woman’s home and sexually assaulted her. The agency filed a chargesheet in May 2022 before the Special Judge under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Tamluk, Purba Medinipur.

The Calcutta High Court granted him bail on September 25, 2024, a decision challenged by the CBI in the Supreme Court. However, despite notices, neither the accused nor his counsel appeared before the apex court. On August 2 this year, the Supreme Court issued a non-bailable warrant, directing the CBI to produce him before the court by August 13.

Acting on technical intelligence, the CBI teams conducted extensive surveillance before locating and apprehending him. The accused was scheduled to be produced before the Supreme Court on August 13.