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The city has seen four murders in the past month, an attempted murder in broad daylight and a daring heist, but the police have not been able to crack any of the cases.
On Tuesday morning, part of a human body stuffed in a plastic bag was recovered from a crowded Sealdah platform, adding to the list of unsolved mysteries haunting the police and Government Railway Police.
Damayanti Sen, joint commissioner of police (crime), told Metro her officers were “trying their level best”. But where are the results?
Metro takes stock.
January 24
Bike-borne snatchers fire at a woman when she tries to resist them in broad daylight in a congested Kasba locality.
Police’s initial reaction: It took the divisional deputy commissioner more than four hours to “realise” that someone had been shot at.
Probe status: Sketches have been drawn and sources say the accused youth has been identified. No arrest.
Cops say: We are not getting enough cooperation from the victims; they are scared.
nReality check: The police have installed a CCTV on a lamp post in front of the victim’s house to catch the criminals “in action” in case they hit back. Nothing suspicious has been recorded yet.
January 24
A nine-year-old girl’s body in a gunny bag dumped in Park Circus railway station.
GRP’s initial reaction: To send the body to a local state hospital’s morgue.
Probe status: A day later, a wake-up call from Calcutta police about another body being found in a similar bag forced the GRP to sit up and notice that the body was stuffed in a bag that bore the initials of a courier company. Three days later, the company was traced.
GRP says: With no docket number printed on the bag, we have not been able to locate the package’s place of origin.
January 25
A youth in a taxi dumps a big bag under Dhakuria bridge and speeds off. A teenage girl’s body is found inside the bag.
Police’s initial reaction: To identify the girl. Only after they realised that the bag bore the same courier mark as the Park Circus bag that a pattern was suspected.
Probe status: Despite sending the school uniform found in the bag to the directorate of school education in Salt Lake, cops are yet to ascertain even the identity of the school to which the uniform belongs. Two sketches of the youth and the taxi driver have been drawn. No headway.
Cops say: Samples from both the bodies have been collected and sent to the forensic laboratory. The courier company has pleaded helplessness.
January 28
A mother-daughter found murdered with multiple stab injuries inside a house in Baguiati.
Police’s initial reaction: Money motive ruled out. Rajesh Agarwal, known to the victims, named prime suspect.
Probe status: The victim family had arranged for funds to buy a flat. Money might have been a motive, after all.
Cops say: It is difficult to trace a person if his cellphone is switched off, so Rajesh Agarwal has not yet been found.
January 28
An armed gang breaks into a house near Metro Cash and Carry off the Bypass, assaults couple
Police’s initial reaction: Damayanti Sen had rushed to the spot that morning to assure the victims of action.
Probe status: A gang from South 24-Parganas suspected, but no arrests.
Cops say: Patrolling has been intensified in the area and a police vehicle stationed in front of the victims’ house.
February 7
A part of a male body, wrapped in a plastic bag found a crowded Sealdah platform on Tuesday morning. Hours later GRP officials at Sealdah station come to know that remains of a human body have also been recovered from Kalyani railway station in Nadia on Monday night. GRP officials are yet to confirm whether they were of the same person.
GRP’s initial reaction: To send it to the N.R.S hospital morgue for postmortem.
Probe status: GRP officials are clueless about the identity of the victim. They suspect the body was dropped off the vendor compartment of Dankuni local train that left Sealdah station around 8.27am on Tuesday. No clue about murder weapon yet.
GRP says: It is too early to determine whether any professional killer was involved. The body has been sent for postmortem. Investigation will take its own course.
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