Sealdah: The prime accused in the rape of a septuagenarian nun in a convent in West Bengal’s Ranaghat was arrested from near the Sealdah railway station, police said on Friday.

Ahidul Islam Babu was nabbed together with Milan Sarkar by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday night.

“We arrested them on Thursday night from near Sealdah station. They are being presented before a court in Ranaghat,” CID Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Dilip Kumar Adak said.

Sarkar is said to be the prime accused who allegedly led a gang that stormed the convent in Ranaghat in Nadia district in early hours of March 14 and allegedly raped the 71-year-old nun, The Deccan Herald reported.

Police had earlier arrested Shaikh Salim, Gopal Sarkar and Mintu Shiekh in the case. The Sister Superior of a Convent School was allegedly raped by dacoits at Ranaghat in Nadia district on March 14.

With the arrest of these two, the total number of arrests in the case has gone up to five.

Earlier one person was arrested from Mumbai and two others were nabbed from West Bengal.

Investigating officials said Milan had close associates and relatives in Bongaon from where the first arrests were made in the Ranaghat case. Ac resident of Jessore district of Bangladesh, he wanted in connection with several criminal cases by the Bangladesh law enforcing agencies.

Milan along with Wahidul and others used to run gang of robbers who operated in different parts of India.

In West Bengal, the gang had committed several daring robberies, according to CID officials.

The CID investigating made the first breakthrough when after tracking the cellphone calls, they arrested one of the accused, Salim Sheikh, from a slum in Mumbai.

Based on inputs provided by Sheikh, the CID had raided the residence of one Gopal Sarkar in Bongaon and arrested him. Gopal, a carpenter, used to allegedly provide shelter to criminal gangs from Bangladesh who committed crimes in Indian territory before crossing the border.

Gopal himself had come from Bangladesh in 2002 and began staying illegally in Bongaon, the CID officials said.

The other accused arrested in the case is Khalidur Rehman.