A 20-year-old pregnant woman has allegedly been gang-raped in Dhaka’s South Keraniganj amid nationwide discussions surrounding a child rape incident in Magura.

Police arrested two suspects – Ashraful Islam Siam, 19, and Dipu Sarkar, 20.

The incident occurred around midnight on Saturday in the Pangaon area, said Inspector Mosharraf Hossain Mia, chief of the Zajira Police Outpost.

The woman said she was married some time ago. Her husband left her when she was four months’ pregnant.

Mosharraf stated, “The woman, who had been abandoned by her husband, arrived at Sadarghat from her home in Chandpur on Saturday. Three men lured her with promises of food and shelter, taking her to an abandoned house in the Rishipara Naya Bari area of Pangaon, where they brutally assaulted and raped her for approximately two and a half hours.”

After receiving a report from a resident, police went to the spot, rescued the woman, and arrested two people.

Police say the woman is from a very poor family and she had come to Dhaka hoping to find some work after her husband left. Law enforcers say her attackers took advantage of her helplessness.

A case has been filed and efforts are underway to arrest the third perpetrator, who is absconding, Mosharraf said.