IIM-Calcutta rape accused admits to spiking drinks, say police

Police have said that the accused in the rape at the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta has admitted to purchasing pills from a nearby pharmacy and spiking the water and cold drinks offered to the survivor before committing the crime.

A senior police officer who told this to PTI, however, pointed out that police have found several discrepancies in the statements of the accused, a student of IIM-Calcutta, and that the intention behind the crime is still not clear.

Also read: IIM-Calcutta ‘rape': Police constitute 9-member SIT for probe

Police chasing motive

“The accused had admitted to having bought sleeping pills and spiked the cold drinks and drinking water which he had offered the woman when she was there. But he could not clarify what the real intention was behind doing all these to a woman who went to him for counselling. He is not answering this question," the officer said.

He said, according to circumstantial evidence, the survivor, after consuming the cold drink, went to a room in the boys' hostel where the alleged crime took place.

“The accused, after committing the crime, rang up one of his friends and narrated the entire crime. During the conversation, he was loitering in the verandah in front of the room where the crime took place," the officer said.

Was survivor a certified psychologist?

Talking about the rape survivor, the officer said, there was confusion about whether she was truly a psychologist or not.

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"She could not place any documents supporting her qualifications as a psychologist. She has not disclosed which institution she attended. We are yet to get information about her chamber and any prescription having her name and other details," he said.

Father’s contradictory statement

Talking about the "contradictory" statement of the father of the victim, police said they were also trying to find out whether the family was "under pressure" to change the statement or not.

They were also investigating whether there was any financial transaction behind this change of statement of the victim's family, he said.

Police on Sunday had said that call records of the accused show that he knew the survivor for the past three months and not for a week as he has claimed.

Also read: IIM Calcutta rape case: Cong, CPI(M) slam lack of security

Nine-member SIT

Police have constituted a nine-member special investigation team (SIT), led by an assistant commissioner from the South West Division, to probe the alleged rape.

The alleged incident took place in a boys' hostel of IIM-Calcutta on Friday, and the accused student, Paramanand Mahaveer Toppannawar, 26, was arrested the next day based on an FIR lodged by the woman at Haridevpur Police Station.

Charges against accused

The survivor, in her complaint, has alleged that Paramanand, a second-year IIM student from Karnataka, allegedly invited her to his hostel and raped her after offering her pizza and drinks spiked with sedatives.

Also read: Committed to upholding safe environment: IIM-C after campus 'rape'

The woman, 24, has told police that she was unconscious for several hours and on waking up found herself in the accused’s bed. She says she went to the police station to file a complaint after that.

A court in Kolkata has remanded the student to police custody till July 19.