A recent post-mortem report has revealed that a two-year-old girl, found dead near her home in Tangra on April 23, was raped and murdered.
Following the initial discovery of the body, police had registered a case of unnatural death.
Last week, 41 days after the incident, the police initiated a case of rape and murder against unknown persons. Later, they detained a 17-year-old boy for his alleged involvement in the crime.
The child had been playing outside her home, close to Tangra police station, before she went missing. Her body was later found nearby.
The incident took place on April 23, the day the first phase of the Assembly elections was held in Bengal.
“The parents took the child to a hospital, where she was declared dead. They were initially unwilling to approach the police. However, officers from Tangra police station had reached the spot and subsequently registered a case of unnatural death before sending the body for a post-mortem examination,” an officer of Kolkata Police’s Eastern Suburban Division said.
An unnatural death case was initially registered against unknown persons.
The post-mortem report came last week indicating that the child was raped and murdered. “The report said that the child had been sexually harassed and smothered to death,” an officer said.
During the investigation, police reviewed CCTV footage from the locality and questioned several people who were among the last to have seen the child alive.
A 17-year-old boy emerged as the prime suspect during the investigation.
The police detained the boy, who later allegedly admitted to the crime.