Kolkata: A 17-year-old girl, a student of Class 11, was allegedly abducted, raped and murdered near the Indo-Bangladesh border at Gaighata, North 24 Parganas, on Saturday night. Her naked body was recovered from behind a neighbour’s house on Sunday morning, triggering protests in the area.
Police arrested Prahlad Das, 23, a resident of Shimulpur in Gaighata and reportedly known to the victim. A Bongaon court remanded him in 10 days of police custody on Sunday afternoon. Her family alleged she received a phone call around 11.30pm and left the event.
Bongaon Police District SP Bidisha Kalita Dasgupta said a rape and murder case had been registered based on the family’s complaint. When she did not return, family relatives, and neighbours searched for her through the night. Her body, bearing multiple injuries, was recovered in the morning. A large police contingent including RAF and Combat Force personnel was deployed to bring the situation under control following protests by local residents.
The girl had attended a jalsa near her house on Saturday night, according to police.
Gaighata MLA Subrata Thakur condemned the incident and said his party stood by the victim’s family, demanding the harshest possible punishment.
A special investigation team headed by the ASP of Bongaon has been formed. A medical board has been constituted for the post-mortem, which will be videographed. A forensic team has been called to collect evidence from the crime scene.