Krishnanagar/Kalyani, Oct. 17: Police sources indicated that the class XII girl, whose nearly charred body was found near an abandoned Durga Puja pandal in Mission Para area of Krishnanagar on Wednesday morning, was not raped and the burn injuries on her body were “ante mortem” in nature.
Postmortem of the body was conducted on Thursday at the Kalyani based College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, when preliminary no signs of sexual assault or any other injury marks that include strangulation or bite were found in the body.
At the same time, doctors who conducted the autopsy of the body of the girl claimed that the burn marks found on the body of a deceased girl in who was suspected to have been raped and murdered, were confirmed to be “ante mortem” indicating the injuries occurred before death.
The autopsy report, however, has so far not been officially submitted due to some pending investigations. But preliminary reports ruled out the allegation of rape as well as acid burn. The burn injuries were most probably caused due to fire ignited with the help of kerosene. The forensic team has spotted a kerosene container, a matchbox close to the body, which are being examined by the fingerprint experts. A doctor of the autopsy team also claimed that the girl died most likely due to carbon gas emitted due to fire burn that choked her throat.
While the burn marks suggest that the victim was set on fire before her death, investigators have not yet determined whether she committed suicide or was killed by her fiancé by setting her on fire. The fiancé, Rahul Bose, an Odisha-based hotel employee, was arrested on Wednesday. A Krishnanagar court remanded him to seven days of police custody on Thursday.
During questioning, Rahul revealed several details about their relationship and admitted he was planning to break up with the girl due to a soured relationship. However, he denied involvement in her death.
The victim, a Class XII student, was reported missing on Tuesday night after leaving to meet Rahul. Her charred body was found near an abandoned Durga Puja pandal in Mission Para of Krishnanagar early Wednesday morning, with severe burns to her face, chest, and abdomen. A cryptic post on her Facebook page, believed to be from her, suggested she may have committed suicide. However, her family claims she was gang-raped and murdered, with her body set on fire to destroy evidence.
Medical Superintendent of the College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, Soumyajyoti Bandyopadhyay, a professor of the Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, who oversaw the autopsy, told reporters that the burns were caused by fire, not acid. “We have found ante-mortem burn injuries,” he said, though he declined to provide further details, including whether the rape had occurred. Sources at JNM Hospital also said that there was no strangulation marks or other injuries were found on the body of the girl.
With the antemortem injuries and no sign of other injuries, sleuths claimed that the possibility of committing suicide by the girl getting stronger. However, they are eagerly waiting for the autopsy and forensic report.
Sleuths are meanwhile focusing on the mobile phone locations of the victim and the accused as they piece together the events leading up to her death.
On Thursday, the Bengal government formed a special investigation team (SIT), led by Krishnanagar Police District chief Amarnath K and supported by the CID, to probe the case. Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, Supratim Sarkar, confirmed that the SIT would leave no stone unturned.
Late Wednesday night, the CID joined the local police in interrogating Rahul. However, as of Thursday, he had not admitted to murder.
ADG Sarkar said, “We are waiting for scientific evidence such as the autopsy and forensic reports. Until then, no conclusions can be drawn. Rahul Bose is still under interrogation, and we are exploring all possible angles.”
Police have also questioned two others in connection with the case, including a mutual female friend of the victim and Rahul. “We have gathered certain leads from the interrogation and are comparing the mobile tower locations of the victim and the accused to establish a timeline,” said an investigator.
Preliminary evidence suggests that the victim and Rahul were together between 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on the night of the incident. Rahul reportedly admitted that, despite ongoing tensions, he called the victim around 10:15 p.m. to meet. After an argument, the girl sent tearful voice messages to her mother, followed by a cryptic Facebook post. Investigators are not sure if Rahul had posted it and waiting for the forensic team and fingerprint experts to verify these findings.
Tensions between the victim and the accused had escalated over a ₹40,000 loan Rahul had given her. He recently demanded repayment, as he planned to purchase a motorcycle. The girl, suspecting that Rahul wanted to end the relationship, delayed returning the money, leading to a heated argument on the night of her death.
Rahul’s mother has denied her son’s involvement in the suspected murder, stating that he had gone to a movie and returned home to sleep.