West Bengal Police have made a swift breakthrough in the alleged rape of a second-year MBBS student in Durgapur, arresting three men just 36 hours after the shocking assault near a private medical college in Paschim Bardhaman district.

Officials from the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate said the arrests followed meticulous tracking of suspects’ movements using mobile tower data, coupled with overnight drone-assisted searches in the forested area behind the college. The accused, reportedly from nearby villages, are set to be produced before the Durgapur court on October 12, where police will seek remand for further questioning.

The 20-year-old survivor, a native of Balasore in Odisha, was allegedly dragged into a wooded area behind the campus on October 10 after stepping out with a male friend. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she remains in stable condition, though deeply traumatized. Investigators are probing whether additional individuals were involved and examining the role of the male companion present during the assault.

Police continued search operations through the night of October 10, deploying drones to comb dense areas surrounding the college. “Mobile tower data provided crucial leads that enabled multiple detentions leading to these arrests,” a senior officer said.

West Bengal Principal Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam confirmed that the Director of Medical Education has been instructed to submit a detailed report from the college. Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognizance and demanded an action-taken report from state authorities within five days.