A shocking case of sexual assault and murder of an 11-year-old girl has triggered massive outrage in Baruipur's Ritanpur village in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district. As news of the crime spread through the village, angry residents poured onto the streets in protest. They vandalised several police vehicles and set some of them ablaze. Local people also thrashed a man on suspicion of being involved in the rape and murder soon after the crime came to light, and he was declared dead after being rushed to hospital. A heavy contingent of police force was rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.
Girl Was Carrying a Cake for a Friend's Birthday
According to the information available, the girl was on her way to a classmate's birthday celebration, carrying a cake for the occasion, when the horrific crime took place. The classmate's father and three of his middle-aged associates have been named as the accused in this heinous case. Acting swiftly, the police arrested all four men, including the main accused, within a short span of time. An investigation into the case is currently underway to establish the full sequence of events.
Class 6 Student Went Missing on Saturday Afternoon
The victim studied in class 6. She left home with a cake around 2pm to 2:30pm on Saturday afternoon to attend her friend's birthday party, and went missing soon afterwards. When she failed to return home for a long time, her worried family grew anxious and began searching for her across the village. Footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area was scanned as part of the search, and this raised suspicion on a local man. He was subsequently caught with the help of the police. He initially tried to mislead investigators and give evasive answers, but once he was questioned firmly, he broke down and confessed to the crime.
Body Recovered From a Pond, Stuffed Inside a Sack
Based on the accused's disclosure, the girl's body was recovered from a pond in the area. The accused had stuffed the body inside a sack before throwing it into the water to conceal the crime. Her body bore bite and cut marks all over, pointing to the brutality of the attack. Police investigation revealed that the main accused, identified as Anando, who is the father of the victim's classmate, had lured the child away by telling her that there were small children at his home she could play with. Using this pretext, he took her to a secluded spot, where he and his three associates carried out the horrific crime together. Police have since got a post-mortem examination conducted on the body and have launched a thorough investigation to identify every detail of how the crime unfolded.
Angry Mob Halts Trains, Places Body on the Road
As the news of the crime spread, outrage erupted across the area and residents took matters into their own hands to register their protest. Angry residents placed the girl's body on the road in protest and completely blocked the main road leading through the village. Protesters then went on to disrupt the Sealdah-Namkhana rail route as well, bringing train movement on that stretch to a complete halt for a considerable period.
CRPF and BSF Deployed to Restore Order
With the situation deteriorating and tempers running high, the administration deployed companies of the CRPF and the Border Security Force, or BSF, alongside the local police to bring the unrest under control. Following the heavy deployment of security personnel, the situation in the area is said to be under control for now, though tension continues to simmer. Police continue to investigate the case in detail and are expected to produce the four arrested men before a court in due course.
