Kolkata: The body of a 17-year-old Class XI student was recovered on Sunday morning from behind a neighbour’s house at Gaighata in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, triggering a police investigation into an alleged case of rape and murder.
The girl had multiple injuries, and a 23-year-old relative, Prahlad Das, has been arrested in connection with the incident.
Police said the teenager had gone missing after attending a musical programme near her home on Saturday night. Her family claimed she left the venue after receiving a phone call around 11.30 pm and did not return. After searching through the night, relatives found her body near a neighbour’s residence the following morning.
Family’s Account
Local residents said the girl had gone to the cultural event with family members, friends and relatives. One relative who attended the programme said the family learnt only after returning home that she had not come back.
“We came back home and heard that she didn’t come back home. I tried to contact her over mobile but it was in ‘call waiting’ mode. We thought that it might be a network trouble and went to sleep. We got the unexpected sad news this morning,” the relative said.
Following the recovery of the body, Gaighata police began an investigation and initially detained Das, described as a relative of the deceased, for questioning. He was subsequently arrested and produced before a court, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Police Await Autopsy Report
Bidisha Kalita, Superintendent of Police of Bongaon Police District, said a case had been registered on the basis of the family’s complaint at Gaighata police station.
“The body of an adolescent girl was recovered from Gaighata area on Sunday morning. Based on the complaint lodged by her family members with the Gaighata police station, a case has been registered,” she said.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that she might have been raped and murdered. The body has been sent for post-mortem and we can confirm about the cause of her death and injury marks after getting the autopsy report.”
The police officer said a medical board had been constituted and forensic experts directed to examine the spot where the body was found.
“A medical board has also been formed to probe the case. Forensic team has been asked to visit the place of occurrence to collect samples related to the incident,” she said.
“Videography will also be done during the post-mortem examination. We are also verifying whether there was any relationship between the victim and the accused. The investigation will also explore whether some others are involved in the incident,” she said.
Local Gaighata MLA Subrata Thakur demanded strict action against those responsible.
“We strongly condemn the incident. One person has been arrested and exemplary punishment must be given to the person or persons whoever is probed involved in the heinous incident,” he said.