The man who has been accused of kidnapping and murder of a schoolgirl in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district was seen inside a shop before he committed the crime on Friday, CCTV footage showed. The 19-year-old, in a pink shirt, was seen talking to a man in the shop before leaving on his bicycle. The police earlier confirmed the accused picked up the minor victim on a bicycle.
The body of the girl, who had left home for a coaching class but never returned, was recovered from a secluded area, about a kilometre away from the Mashishamari police outpost on Saturday morning.
The family of the victim, a class 4 student, filed a complaint at Joynagar police station on Friday after she didn't return from her class. "When her father returned from his shop at 8 pm, he got to know that her 10-year-old daughter hadn't returned home. He then went to Mashishamari police camp before going to Joynagar police station to lodge a case," said South 24 Parganas, Baruipur SP Palash Chandra Dhali.
A friend of the victim told the police that she had seen the accused and victim on the bicycle, Mr Dhali said. Her information helped police identify the killer and catch him. On being questioned, he confessed to the crime and led the police to the spot where he had dumped the body, he added.
The police recovered the body with multiple injuries at around 3:00 am on Saturday.
The man, Mostakin Sardar, had been trying to befriend the victim for a while and on the day of the crime, he picked her up after offering her an ice cream, according to the sources.
The incident has sparked protests in the area with angry locals alleging that despite the presence of police in the police camp nearby, the incident took place and there was a delay in launching a search for the girl. Locals were seen on the streets with sticks and brooms protesting against the incident. A police camp was vandalised and set on fire.
The police, however, said they started an investigation as soon as the complaint was received and the accused was arrested early Saturday morning.
"We started the investigation as soon as we received the complaint at 8.30 pm," said Mr Dhali. "We have supported the family, guided them on every step. It is a heinous crime. We will soon file a chargesheet and will seek capital punishment for the culprit," he added.
Additional police forces have also been rushed to the area to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, a political slugfest has also begun in the state over the incident.
Union Minister and BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar claimed that the girl was raped, and called for Chief Minister Banerjee's resignation.
The second post-mortem of the body of the victim will be done tomorrow. The police said that they will have clarity on adding any sexual assault charges after the post-mortem results come in.
The second post-mortem is being performed on the orders of the Calcutta High Court.
Her body is currently at Kantapukur morgue, where the first autopsy was done.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has directed the police to ensure that the culprit gets "capital punishment within three months". "A Crime is a crime, there is no religion or caste. Strong action should be taken against the criminals," she said while speaking at the Kolkata Police Body Guard Lines after virtually inaugurating several Durga Pujas.
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