An autopsy conducted at the Nadia District Hospital in Krishnanagar on Tuesday confirmed that three shots fired from close range killed Ishita Mullik on Monday.
Ishita, 18, was shot dead inside her bedroom at her at Manikpara home by her estranged fiance Deshraj Singh after a brief scuffle on Monday afternoon.
According to the report, two bullets pierced the right side of her head. The third got lodged in the middle of her head and could not be retrieved.
Sleuths said the manner of the shooting by the youth pointed to a determined resolve to kill the girl, who was reportedly trying to end her relationship with him.
More than 24 hours later, Deshraj remains untraceable, leaving police groping for clues about his whereabouts.
Officers have contacted his father, Raghubendra Pratap Singh, who disclosed that his son had expressed a desire to return to their hometown, Deoria in Uttar Pradesh.
Acting on this, the father sent him a reserved train ticket. “This ticket was for August 24, Purvanchal Express. On the day, Deshraj called me and said, ‘Papa, I caught the train.’ After that, as I was busy, I could not contact him. It don’t know if he boarded the train.... I was later told by police that he killed a girl on August 25,” Singh told journalists
over the phone.
Bereaved family members of Ishita Mullik at their home in Krishnanagar on Tuesday. Picture by Dibakar Das
Raghubendra, formerly an NDRF employee and now serving the BSF in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, said: “We only talk when Deshraj calls me for money or any specific need. Otherwise we seldom talk. It is not possible for me to know what he has done. I had no idea about the girl (Ishita).”
Deshraj lived in a rented house in Jethia-Dharampur with his mother, who left for Deoria on August 13. His father told police that Deshraj claimed to have taken admission to a Krishnanagar-based college and visited the town for studies. However, officers are yet to verify this claim.
Police said the father had booked a Purvanchal Express ticket for his son on August 24, to be boarded from Naihati at 3.15pm. But Deshraj never boarded the train.
Investigators suspect he originally planned to kill Ishita on August 24 but changed his mind since it was Sunday and everyone in her family would be home.
Ishita and Deshraj studied together at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kanchrapara, and became close, police sources said. On Monday, he reached Krishnanagar and went straight to Ishita’s residence, gunned her down and fled.
Scanning his mobile phone records, investigators discovered that after the murder, Deshraj contacted some friends seeking shelter, but they refused to help him.
After these failed attempts, he switched off his phone and vanished. Police have not ruled out the possibility of his escape to Nepal. A team will also go to Deoria in Gorakhpur district to track him down.
On Tuesday, senior police officials visited the crime scene and collected evidence, assuring the grieving family of justice.
Additional SP Makwana Meetkumar Sanjaykumar told reporters: “We have got certain clues which cannot be disclosed at this moment for the sake of investigation.”
The Barrackpore commissionerate has begun scanning CCTV footage to track Deshraj’s recent movements. A police team visited Jethia-Dharampur and spoke to residents, who said Deshraj had a bad temper. His schoolteachers said the same.
The murder triggered concern over rising gun-related crimes in Krishnanagar. Senior officers, however, maintained there was no reason for panic and said every effort was being made to keep residents safe.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ishita’s body was handed over to family members after the autopsy. Her last rites were performed at a crematorium in Nabadwip town.