The rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur has shocked Bengal not only because of the brutality of the crime but also because of questions about the police response.
Metro pieces together what has emerged so far:
Allegations
The people in focus
Pravas Sardar: The 12-year-old girl was last seen alive with Pravas, who was identified from CCTV footage wearing a red T-shirt and a cap. Local residents raided his house around 3am on Sunday after identifying him. A cook by profession, Pravas has a teenage son, neighbours said.
Ananda Sardar: Identified as the prime accused in the rape and murder case, Ananda allegedly fled from the Baruipur police outpost after being taken there by local BJP leader Santanu Mondal. He works as a commercial vehicle driver and occasionally drives an autorickshaw. Married with two children, he is the family’s sole breadwinner.
Dibakar Sardar: Police tracked Ananda’s mobile phone to zero in on Dibakar, who was arrested at his home on Sunday morning while allegedly preparing to flee. Neighbours said Dibakar is married and works odd jobs.
Indrajit Tanti: The young man who was lynched by a mob in Baruipur on Sunday. Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said police had found Indrajit innocent. Sources said he was closely associated with Ananda and the two were often seen together, which may have led locals to suspect his involvement. Indrajit was unmarried.
Santanu Mondal: A local BJP leader who identifies himself on social media as the BJP general secretary of Baruipur (West), Mandal-III. He took two accused, Pravas and Ananda, from the mob to the police outpost, from where Ananda allegedly escaped. Residents have alleged that Santanu helped the accused flee. He was detained on Monday but later released.
Post-mortem
- The preliminary post-mortem opinion indicated that the girl was gang-raped and murdered
- She had injuries to her head and neck, while the cause of death was found to be drowning
- The findings suggested that she was still alive when she was thrown into the water
Motive
- The accused in custody have reportedly told police that their motive was sexual assault, sources said
- They allegedly told investigators they had tied the girl’s hands while committing the crime, sources said
- According to a police officer, one of the accused reportedly said they decided to dump the unconscious girl in the water, believing her body would be found only after a few days and that they could then join the search to avoid suspicion
- Police said the three accused returned to their homes after dumping the girl in the water on Saturday night.
Charges
- The accused have been booked on charges of gang rape, murder, causing the disappearance of evidence, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping of a minor, and under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act
- Police sources said another suspect, whose name surfaced during the investigation, was detained and later released. Although he is known to be close to Ananda, investigators have not yet established any link between him and the crime, an officer said
- All three men arrested so far have been remanded in police custody