A woman has allegedly been raped by a sweeper while seeking treatment for her minor daughter at Natore General Hospital, with allegations emerging that hospital authorities initially tried to suppress the incident.

Police have arrested three sweepers in connection with the incident, including the main accused, after the incident came to light, officials said on Tuesday.

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According to Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shariful Haque of the district, the victim had been staying at the hospital after admitting her daughter to the Children’s Ward five days ago.

The incident reportedly took place on the night of June 7 when Amit, a sweeper employed on an outsourcing basis, allegedly lured the woman to the fifth-floor terrace around 10:00pm under the pretext of providing medicine and then raped her.

Police said two other sweepers, identified as Anil and Prangon, allegedly recorded the incident on their mobile phones. They later attempted to sexually assault the woman by threatening to release the video, according to the allegations.

The matter was reportedly detected by on-duty nurses and ward attendants through the hospital’s CCTV monitoring system.

After being rescued, Ansar members took the victim to hospital authorities, where her statement regarding the incident was recorded on a mobile phone. The victim described the allegations, while the three accused reportedly admitted their involvement.

The woman was later taken to the room of a senior staff nurse, where she was allegedly advised not to disclose the incident to others. The accused were subsequently allowed to leave, while the victim was handed over to her family.

The incident, however, was later reported to police by several hospital nurses, prompting law enforcement action.

Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station Mansur Rahman said police arrested the three accused after learning about the incident and a case has since been filed.

The SP said he had ordered necessary action immediately after being informed of the matter and assured that a proper investigation would be carried out.

Meanwhile, a probe body was also formed to look into the incident.