Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Nov 6: The semi-decomposed body of a 12-year-old girl, who had been missing for two days, was recovered from a jungle in Raiganj in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district on Friday morning, triggering tension in the area.
The girl’s body was found without clothes, raising suspicions of sexual assault and murder. However, police said the exact circumstances and nature of the crime would be established only after the post-mortem examination.
According to family members, the girl had gone out for a bicycle ride on the afternoon of November 3 but failed to return home. Her relatives searched for her at several places but could not trace her. They subsequently lodged a missing person complaint at Raiganj Police Station on the same day, following which police launched a search operation.
On Friday morning, news spread that the body of a minor girl had been spotted in a jungle in the area. The family members rushed to the spot and identified it as that of the missing girl. The body was found in a partially decomposed condition.
Police personnel reached the spot, recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem examination. The victim's family suspects that she was sexually assaulted before being murdered.
“I went out for work on Tuesday morning. When I returned home, I learnt that she was missing. We subsequently searched for her at various places but could not trace her. Now, this morning, her body has been recovered from inside the jungle,” the girl's aunt, who lives in the same house, told media persons.
Raiganj police have launched an investigation to establish the circumstances leading to the girl's death and identify those responsible.
“Though we too suspect that this could be a case of rape and murder, it cannot be conclusively established at this stage whether sexual assault took place. The post-mortem report will help determine this. The examination will be conducted on Friday,” an investigating officer said.
He added that investigators were attempting to reconstruct the sequence of events between the time the girl went missing and the discovery of her body.
Police are also examining CCTV footage from cameras installed in and around the area where the body was found. The girl's mobile phone is being examined as part of the investigation.
No arrests or detentions have been made in connection with the incident so far.