The body of a nine-year-old girl was found from a building in North Kolkata’s Jorabagan area on 4th February, Thursday. The girl had been reported missing late on Wednesday evening from her maternal uncle’s house, where she had gone for a visit. But police did not take the complaint seriously and search for her, locals allege.
The minor girl was sexually abused and then killed, a senior police officer said. When her body was found it was partially clothed, throat slit, teeth smashed and clumps of her hair torn. According to the cops, she may have identified her assailants, which is why she may have been killed.
“The recovery of a blood-stained knife, four of her teeth, a clump of hair and clear signs of struggle at the murder spot showed that the girl had put up a fight before she was killed,” said an investigating officer. The autopsy report will determine whether she was raped. She was probably murdered because she knew her assailants.
A 9 years old innocent girl was brutally raped & hacked to death in the heart of Kolkata. So-called activists who often boast their activism can't even condemn this. We won't leave any stone unturned to ensure she gets justice.
Let's raise our voice & demand #JusticeForKhushi— Som Mandal (@sommandaloffice) February 9, 2021
The girl had come to her uncle’s house. Her aunt said, “She was playing with others on the road in the evening. She was last seen around 7.45pm. We noticed she was missing around 8pm and began searching the area. We then went to the police station, but were told a kidnapping FIR could not be lodged before 24 hours of someone going missing. They told us they would search the area but no one came down to the house to inquire.”
Throughout the night the family kept on searching. The next morning a local resident first saw the girl’s body on the terrace of a neighbouring building. The girl’s father, a trader, said, “The moment I saw her I knew everything was over. I can now only seek justice.”
The locals alleged, “The family had approached the police when the girl went missing last evening. But they did not co-operate. Had they searched the locality, the girl could have been saved. Their casual attitude is responsible for this.”
A team of officers from Jorabagan police station, and Kolkata Police Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Murlidhar Sharma rushed to the area in the Northern part of the city, following the discovery of the body by locals. The dog squad, the forensic team and a scientific analysis team followed. A team of senior police officials interrogated several residents and another team questioned the two children who were last seen playing with the victim.
In this case Ram Kumar (45) alias Lambu was arrested by the Detective Department who is a security guard of the north Kolkata building where the minor was found murdered on the morning of February 4. According to the investigation, it was revealed that one of Ram Kumar’s accomplices was also involved in this brutal incident.
The second accused is Ranvir Tanti alias Raghubir(43), a resident of Balia in the Begusarai district of Bihar. “Tanti works at the marble shop of a local trader, a regular at the residence of the girl’s maternal uncle, and the girl knew Tanti by face. That evening, she accepted chips and biryani from Kumar. The two accused were drinking and hatched the plan together,” a source told Times Of India.
The victim had recently celebrated her ninth birthday and had been warned to stay away from the building where the crime took place by her grandmother, but had gone in to play hide and seek. The post-mortem report suggests she may have been murdered between 9pm and 2am.
Local cops said the accused were addicted to child pornography. Both accused have been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 302 (murder) and section 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried to organize an agitation in the area on February 4, demanding justice. On Friday afternoon, Agnimitra Paul, president of the BJP’s state women’s front, met the mother of the victim.
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