Pravas Mondal and Dibakar Sardar, two of the three men arrested in connection with the rape and murder of the 12-year-old girl, were produced before the Baruipur additional chief judicial magistrate on Monday and remanded in police custody for 14 days.
The third accused, Ananda Sardar, arrested on Monday and believed to be the prime accused, will be produced before the court on Tuesday, police sources said.
At court, the public prosecutor argued that the case was sensitive and custody was necessary to collect further evidence. He said bail could lead to tampering with evidence and hamper the investigation.
All three have been booked under charges of gang rape, murder, kidnapping of a minor, criminal conspiracy, causing disappearance of evidence, and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
No defence lawyer represented the two accused during their production before court.
The girl had stepped out of her home to buy food on Saturday afternoon and went missing. Her family and neighbours launched a search after she did not return till late evening.
Her body was found in a pond in the area on Sunday morning, amid allegations of police inaction in the initial search.
Baruipur police first registered a case of murder and kidnapping. After a preliminary post-mortem confirmed sexual assault, POCSO sections were added.
Pravas was apprehended by locals on Sunday morning after they conducted a search operation and traced him using CCTV footage.
Dibakar was arrested by the police later on Monday, followed by Ananda’s arrest.