West Bengal, 24 July (H.S.): The police have arrested another accused in connection with the lynching of Indrajit Mondal following the recovery of the body of a teenage girl, who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered, in Suryapur under Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district. The latest accused, identified as 46-year-old Lutfar Sheikh alias Luto, is a resident of Bhatpota in the Suryapur Hat area. With this arrest, the total number of accused in the case has risen to nine.

According to police sources, Lutfar Sheikh's name emerged during the interrogation of the eight accused who had already been arrested. Acting on the information, Baruipur police conducted a raid in the Suryapur area on Thursday night and apprehended him. He was produced before the Baruipur Sub-Divisional Court on Friday, where police sought his custody for further interrogation to identify other persons involved in the crime.

The eight accused arrested earlier are Faruk Sardar, Rajesh Sardar, Shariful Mallick, Sabiuddin Baidya, Farid Sheikh, Abu Siddique Sardar, Shamim Ali Khan and Sakim Laskar.

The case stems from the recovery of the body of a minor girl from a pond in Suryapur a few days ago. The police are investigating allegations that she was gang-raped and murdered. Following the discovery of the body, a mob allegedly attacked Indrajit Mondal on suspicion of involvement in the crime, beating him to death.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari later stated that Indrajit was innocent. He visited the bereaved family, handed over a compensation cheque of ₹25 lakh, and announced a civic volunteer job for the deceased's elder brother.

The Chief Minister alleged that the lynching was carried out after targeting the victim's identity and claimed that political elements defeated in the elections had instigated the violence. He had also said that everyone seen in the video footage of the incident would be arrested. Police said the investigation is continuing and further arrests may follow.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey