The gangrape and murder of a 11-year-old girl in West Bengal's Baruipur was pre-planned, the police have said. So far three of the accused -- including the alleged kingpin Ananda Sardar - have been arrested.
The girl had gone missing on Saturday after she left her home in South 24 Parganas' Baruipur to buy a birthday gift for a friend. Her body was recovered on Sunday. The police said apart from the injuries in her private parts, scratches and bite marks, her head bore serious injury. It appeared that she was hit on the head with a blunt object.
Sources said Ananda Sardar, Pravash Mndal, and Dibakar Sardar have confessed to the crime. Investigation revealed that one of the accused had taken the child to a spot where two other were waiting. After sexually assaulting her, they stuffed her in a sack and threw it in a pond.
Read: Head Injury, Sexual Assault: Autopsy Of Bengal Girl Who Was Stuffed In Sack
At the crime scene, NDTV found that to avoid public attention, the criminals had chosen a deserted area adjacent to a railway track near the Suryapur station.
After the girl's body was found, a young man named Indranath Tanti, was beaten to death, suspected of involvement in the murder.
"From what I have learned from the police, the young man was innocent. None of those who beat the innocent Indranath to death will be spared," Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said.
"More than 200 people have been identified in the video footage. I will put all of them behind bars under the Goonda Act. The government will also recover the cost of the property damage caused," he added.
The Chief Minister has directed all police stations across the districts to take strongest possible precautions to stop women atrocities in Bengal.
The Opposition Trinamool Congress has claimed that the police had tried to shield the prime accused in the rape-murder.
"The situation in Bengal is bad. A girl is raped and murdered, yet it takes the police three hours to arrive," said Trinamool MP Saugata Roy.
"Suvendu Adhikari had spoken of 'Fear out, Trust in'. Is this an example? Mamata Banerjee wanted to visit the site, but her residence was surrounded, and Central forces were deployed there... Mamata Banerjee staged a protest by holding a candlelight march," he added.
