Hanshkhali, April 10: A class nine girl was allegedly gang-raped by at least three youths at a birthday party in Nadia’s Hanshkhali and later died due to excessive bleeding. In an attempt to cover up the crime and to destroy evidence, the rapists allegedly forcibly cremated the body of the girl at an unauthorize burning ghat located close to their home.
The bizarre incident that occurred on April 4, however, came to light only on Saturday night when the girl’s mother had lodged a complaint with the help of Child Line, five days after the incident, against the prime accused Sohail Gayali (alias Braja), his father Samar and two other friends.
As per the complaint, the victim was invited to a birthday party by her close friends when she was allegedly gang-raped. She suffered critical injuries in her private organ resulting in excessive bleeding that eventually led to her death during the early hours of April 5 morning.
Knowing about the demise of the girl, the suspected accused, Braja allegedly used his father’s political clout and took away the body by force to a local burning ghat where he with the support of some other associates cremated the body without any post-mortem or death certificate apparently to destroy evidence.
Police have detained the youth, Braja, a BA 1st-year student at Bagula Srikrishna College while looking for the other two youths who were allegedly raped.
Police on Sunday had begun a probe for gang rape, murder, and tampering with evidence apart from charging him for aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offices (POCSO) Act.
Additional SP of Ranaghat police district Rupantar Sengupta said, “We are investigating all possible angles. All the findings being cross-examined repeatedly with all available witnesses so as come to the possible conclusion of this unusual probe due to absence of any material pieces of evidence”.