An 18-year-old girl, set to take admission to her graduation course on Tuesday, was shot dead by her estranged fiancé at her home in Krishnanagar on Monday afternoon.

The incident occurred in the Manikpara area, barely 500 metres from the district police headquarters, triggering outrage over the law and order in the town.

The victim, Ishita Mullik, daughter of bank employee Dulal Mullik, was shot at least twice from close range by her former schoolmate-turned-fiancé, Devraj Singh, 22, son of a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) employee.

One bullet pierced her forehead, killing her on the spot. She was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

Devraj, originally from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and currently residing in a rented house in Jethia-Dharampur near Kanchrapara in North 24-Parganas, reportedly travelled to Krishnanagar and walked straight to the first-floor room of Ishita’s two-storey house near the Krishnanagar Women’s College.

According to sources, Devraj went straight upstairs, searching for Ishita. When her mother Kusum tried to stop him, he threatened her with dire consequences. Ishita came out and tried to resist, but Devraj fired two rounds, killing her instantly.

The incident took place around 2.15pm.

Family sources said Ishita, a former student of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kanchrapara, had cleared her HS examination last year, but took a year’s break before planning to enroll for her graduation
this week.

She and Devraj had developed a close relationship since their school days, but Ishita had recently cut off communication with him.

“She was eager to come out of the relationship following a recent difference,” a
relative said.

A neighbour, who was the first to rush in after hearing gunshots, said: “I heard two gunshots and rushed inside, apprehending something wrong. I went to the first-floor room and found Ishita lying in a pool of blood on the floor... then I called the neighbours.”

In Dharampur of North 24-Parganas, the rented house of Devraj was found locked. He remained absconding till late evening.

Local residents said that Devraj lived in the rented house with his mother.

They said he was known to be studious but had a
short fuse.

“They weren’t too friendly with us. They used to avoid neighbours,” an elderly woman, who lives near Devraj’s rented home, said.

The police have launched a suo motu case and a probe has been launched.

A statement issued by Krishnanagar police district said: “Preliminary inquiry reveals that the victim and the accused were known to each other, having met during her studies in Kanchrapara. The victim had reportedly stopped communicating with him in recent days. Further investigation is in progress.”

DSP Shilpi Pal told reporters: “We are trying our best and exploring all possible aspects behind the murder.”

The killing has sparked sharp criticism over the state of law and order in
Krishnanagar.

BJP’s Krishnanagar unit spokesperson Sandip Majumdar said: “People in Bengal are living on the heap of firearms. Police never bothered about the source of such a huge number of firearms, which are available in every area of the state now. In Krishnanagar, like elsewhere, police prefer to share stages with ruling party leaders and get photographed with them.”

Trinamool Congress leaders, however, refused to comment officially on the murder.

One leader, on the condition of anonymity, said: “A known family friend killed the girl by breaching their trust. Blaming the police for lawlessness cannot be attributed to this act.”