The 21-year-old from Haridevpur whose body was traced to Mograhat in the early hours of Friday was murdered, police said on Saturday.
Ayan Mondal had suffered grievous head injuries resulting in his death, the police said. The revelation came following the arrest of four people during the day, including the father of Ayan’s friend and three others who had allegedly plotted the murder and then dumped the body at a desolate place in Mograhat, nearly 32km south of Haridevpur.
Ayan’s friend, her mother and her brother were arrested late on Friday. On Saturday, the girl’s father, her brother’s two friends and the man who allegedly drove the body to Mogra-hat from Haridevpur were arrested.
One of the two friends of the girl’s brother was rounded up from Odisha, the police said. All of them have been charged with murder and attempt to destroy evidence and criminal conspiracy.
“It appears that the victim was hit on the head with some blunt object, possibly a brick, repeatedly, leading to his death. The accused, including the father and the mother of the youth’s friend, decided to dump the body at a place far away from Haridevpur to avoid detection,” said a senior police officer.
“ We have seized the vehicle that was hired to carry the body,” the officer added. The police said that on Wednesday night, Ayan had left his house responding to a call from his friend and then had a drink. Ayan apparently did not find his friend in her house, the police said.
“He allegedly picked a fight with the family members in a fit of rage and attacked his friend after she returned home. Unable to control him, the girl’s brother then hit Ayan with some blunt object apparently at the instruction of the girl and her mother,” said a senior officer of Haridevpur police station.
Following hours of interrogation, the police said they had learnt that the friend’s father then engaged two of his son’s friends to hire a small goods vehicle to carry the body to a far away place. The two friends allegedly got in touch with the driver of a goods vehicle saying they needed him to transport some household stuff including furniture, the police said.
The driver arrived with the vehicle from Kudghat to Haridevpur and refused to go after realising that he had to carry a dead body, said an officer.
“The driver was offered a huge amount and finally the body, wrapped in tarpaulin, was carried from Haridevpur to Mograhat and dumped near Katapole,” the officer said.
