The prime accused in the alleged murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur has been arrested, taking the total number of arrests in the case to three, police said on Monday.
According to police sources, the main accused, Ananda Sardar, was apprehended from the Baruipur area during a joint operation by the West Bengal Police Special Task Force (STF) and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Baruipur Police District. He is expected to be produced before a local court on Tuesday.
The arrest comes a day after police recovered the girl's body from a pond, prompting widespread outrage and violent protests in the area. One accused was arrested on Sunday, followed by another on Monday morning. The remaining two arrested persons have been identified as Prabhas Mondal and Dibakar Sardar. Several others are also being questioned as part of the investigation.
A six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the case.
'Four Cases Have Been Registered'
Speaking on the investigation, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the guilty would face the strictest punishment and confirmed that the number of cases registered in connection with the incident has increased from three to four.
"Four cases have been registered. Apart from the case involving this heinous crime, three other cases have been filed," Adhikari said.
The additional FIR relates to the railway track blockade that took place during protests following the recovery of the girl's body. Earlier, police had registered separate cases over the alleged murder, the mob lynching of a suspected accused, and attacks on police personnel.
The Chief Minister said he had spoken to the victim's father, who has been asked to visit Bhawani Bhavan on Tuesday.
"I spoke to the father. He has sought justice," Adhikari said.
He added that the victim's family had named four individuals in their complaint.
"Three have been arrested. They were in contact with the two absconding accused. The IG and the STF are working on the case. Whatever assistance the family has sought from the government will be provided," he said.
Investigation Continues
Without divulging details of the investigation, Adhikari indicated that the probe was examining multiple aspects of the violence that followed the crime.
"There was a communal angle in the mob lynching incident. I do not want to comment further at this stage. The way railway tracks were uprooted reminds me of the anti-CAA protests in 2019 and the recent protests against the Waqf Act. Two CRPF personnel were injured and a police vehicle was set on fire," he said.
Tensions Remain High
The 12-year-old girl had been missing since Saturday before her body was recovered from a pond on Sunday. Her family has alleged that she was murdered, and the incident triggered massive protests across Baruipur. During the unrest, a man suspected of involvement in the crime was allegedly beaten to death by an angry mob. Demonstrators also blocked roads and disrupted train services before police and central security forces restored order.
To prevent further violence, authorities have imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in the police station areas of Baruipur, Narendrapur and Sonarpur, while a heavy police presence remains deployed across the region.
