Kolkata: A 17-year-old has been apprehended for allegedly raping and murdering a two-year-old in Tangra on April 23 this year. An FIR was filed at the Tangra police station 41 days after the incident, only after the final postmortem report stated on June 2 that the child was physically abused and then murdered.
Incident Details
The incident occurred around 3 pm on April 23. The girl's body was found on the stairs of an under-construction building, approximately 500 meters from the Tangra police station. The body was recovered by Tangra police, and the child was declared dead at Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College Hospital.
Arrest and Legal Proceedings
The apprehended minor was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and subsequently sent to a safe home, according to an official. Police stated that the girl was found lying in the under-construction building by her parents, who then took her to the hospital.
Addressing concerns about the delay in registering the FIR, police clarified that initially the case was registered as an unnatural death, as the child's family had originally claimed she fell to her death. After the postmortem report, Tangra police launched an investigation and apprehended the suspect, as claimed by an officer.
Investigation Challenges
Due to the absence of CCTV cameras at the scene, police faced difficulties during the probe. They initially suspected masons and laborers working at the construction site and investigated whether any of them had suddenly disappeared. Eventually, source information and prolonged surveillance led to the arrest of the accused.
Senior officers stated that a specialized team from the homicide department of the detective department was working jointly with the local police to solve the case. Locals had initially expressed outrage over the delay in filing rape and murder charges, but police maintained that they had to wait for conclusive medical evidence to alter the sections of the case.
