Kolkata, 06 July (H.S.). Police have arrested another accused in connection with the murder of an 11-year-old girl in Baruipur of South 24 Parganas district, while three other suspects have been detained for questioning. With the latest arrest, the total number of accused held in the case has risen to two. A murder case has been registered, and a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by the Additional Superintendent of Police, has been constituted to probe the incident. Officers from Baruipur Police Station are also part of the investigation.
Police said the victim's family has alleged that the girl was gang-raped before being murdered. However, investigators are awaiting the post-mortem report to confirm the allegation. The post-mortem examination was conducted on Sunday night.
According to police, the body of the Class VI student, who had been missing since Saturday evening, was recovered from a pond near her residence on Sunday morning. The body was found stuffed inside a sack. The incident triggered widespread outrage in the area, with local residents placing the girl's body on the road and staging a protest.
During the unrest, a local youth, Indrajit Tanti (26), suspected by the mob of being involved in the crime, was beaten to death. Police, however, have not confirmed whether he had any connection with the murder. Police personnel and media representatives also came under attack while attempting to bring the situation under control, prompting the deployment of a large police force.
The situation eased after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari spoke to the victim's father over the phone and assured him of strict action against those responsible. Following this, police intensified their investigation and arrested a local resident identified as Prabhas. According to investigators, he was reportedly the last person seen with the victim and is being interrogated.
Some local residents have alleged that the girl was taken away in an auto-rickshaw on Saturday evening. Acting on these leads, police carried out overnight searches and detained three persons on suspicion of sheltering the accused. All those detained, along with the arrested accused, are being questioned.
Police are expected to produce the two arrested accused before the Baruipur court on Monday and seek their custody for further interrogation. The investigation is continuing.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
