​​​​​​​Kolkata, Oct 22: In a significant development in the sensational Durgapur gang-rape case, all six accused—including the victim’s male friend— will be produced before the court on Wednesday, as police prepare to seek an extension of their custody to further probe the incident.

According to sources, inconsistencies in the statements given by the accused, including the victim’s male friend, have created challenges for investigators. As a result, authorities believe it is necessary to extend the custody of the accused to address these discrepancies and complete the investigation.

On Tuesday, statements of two of the six accused in the rape case involving a second-year medical student were recorded before the judicial magistrate at the court.

Insiders from the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate stated that the statements of two accused were recorded under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, which empowers a judicial magistrate to record confessions and statements from an accused or witness during an investigation.

After their statements were recorded before the judicial magistrate on Tuesday, the two accused were returned to custody. With the statements of these two now on record, there is a possibility that they may turn approvers in the case.

During six days of questioning, police uncovered discrepancies in the statements of the male friend of the Durgapur gang-rape victim and five youths arrested from the local village. Officials said authorities are working to uncover missing links in the case.

Notably, a second-year medical student from Odisha was allegedly gang-raped by five individuals in a forested area near a private medical college and hospital in West Bengal’s Durgapur on October 10.

Based on the victim’s complaint, police initially arrested all five accused in the gang-rape case. Investigators later revealed that only one of them was directly involved in the sexual assault of the medical student.

Subsequently, the victim’s male friend was also taken into custody after police found inconsistencies in his statements during interrogation. He remains in police custody.

Meanwhile, the victim’s father has called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident, demanding swift and strict action against the culprits.