The two women who were caught carrying a body in a trolley bag at the Ahiritola Ghat on Tuesday claimed innocence at the Barasat court on Thursday.

Their lawyers told the court that the women were innocent and there was no evidence that the suitcase in which the body was found belonged to them.

The prosecution lawyer, however, said that the women were “caught red-handed” and that the body was recovered from the trolley bag in their presence.

The Barasat court rejected the bail prayer submitted by the defence lawyer and sent the women to judicial custody till March 13, as was sought by the prosecution.

Officers of Barasat police district said they would submit a prayer before the court on Friday to allow them to conduct a test identification parade of the accused inside the jail.

During a test identification parade, the accused are made to stand in a line with people of similar height and weight, and witnesses to the crime are made to identify the accused from the group.

The parade can be conducted only when an accused is in judicial remand.

Arati Ghosh and her daughter Falguni were spotted dragging a blue trolley bag along the Ahiritola Ghat on Tuesday morning.

They were intercepted by people who questioned them about what was inside the bag. The women failed to provide a satisfactory answer and the police were alerted.

The police, on coming to the spot, opened the trolley bag and found a woman’s body inside.

The deceased woman’s ankles had been severed to fit her body in the bag.

Barasat Police formally took over the case docket on Thursday.

Investigators said they would create a chain of evidence by collecting CCTV footage starting from Barasat to the Ahiritola Ghat in Calcutta, around 24km apart, to establish the presence of the mother-daughter on the route through which they travelled from Barasat to Calcutta to allegedly dump the body.

The cops said the motive of the murder would be clear only after the two women are questioned in police custody.

Till now, the police have found preliminary evidence suggesting that they purchased a big bag from Burrabazar to dispose of the body.

The duo had earlier claimed that they disposed of some jewellery and the weapon that was used to chop off woman’s the ankles in a smaller suitcase that they threw in a water body.

The police said they would start a search for the water body after the women are taken into custody.