Kolkata, Oct 25 (IANS) Tension prevailed in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Sunday after the body of a 17-year-old girl, suspected to be raped and murdered, was recovered near her relative’s house in the morning.
The Gaighata Police Station have started an investigation in the matter and has also detained one of her relatives as a suspect in that heinous crime.
From the condition in which the body was recovered, the investigating officers suspect this to be a case of rape & murder.
However, a district police officer said that the reason for her death and whether she was raped before or not could be ascertained only after her autopsy report is available. The body of the victim had already been sent for a post-mortem examination.
It is learnt that the girl went out, along with her family members and friends, on Saturday night to attend a musical programme near her house, which continued till late night.
The victim’s family members claimed that around midnight, she received a call on her mobile phone, following which she left the venue and did not return. After the function ended, her family members started looking for her but could not trace her
Finally, on Sunday morning, her body was recovered from behind her relative’s residence.
“Yesterday, there was a musical programme here. We left home at 8 p.m. to attend. We met her on the street. She said she would be going to the same musical function with her friend. So, we left. After the program, we returned home. Then, I heard she had not returned home. I called her up. But the phone was on hold. We fell asleep thinking it was a network problem. Later in the morning, I heard about this incident,” the victim’s maternal aunt said.
The police suspect that more than one person might be involved in this incident, even as the detained relative is being questioned.
The investigating officials are trying to track the motive behind the crime. “One person has been detained and is being questioned. However, the police cannot say anything more than this right now. Apart from that, it is being investigated whether any other accused has fled to Bangladesh as it is a border area,” a local police official said.
BJP legislator from Gaighata, Subrata Thakur, reached the spot and said that he, his party and the administration are beside the victim’s family members.
“The one or those who committed this heinous act will be given the strictest punishment. One person has been detained. I have spoken to the inspector-in-charge of the Gaighata Police Station. A legal case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 has been registered. Investigation is underway. The maximum punishment is required in such incidents,” he said.
–IANS
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