Former TMC leader dragged victim of Kolkata gang rape case inside college on CCTV

Analysis of the CCTV footage gathered from the scene of the Kolkata gang-rape case have shown that the victim was not allowed to leave the college premises. An officer confirmed that the victim was seen walking hurriedly near the gates and the accused were following her. The footage shows that the student was forcibly dragged near the college gates by two of the accused.

There were no cameras near the guards room, police said, however all of the four accused who were arrested were recorded entering and exiting the building and were seen at the crime scene.

Other crucial evidence were also collected such as the video found on the main accused’s phone, which was later used to blackmail the victim. An officer speaking to the Times of India said that “Mishra’s mobile that contained recordings of the entire crime combined with forensic reports form the backbone of this case. We have carefully collected all samples from two crime scenes.”

 

Officers have confirmed that the visuals in the CCTV footage corroborates with the victims statement. The footage gathered from the college had not been tampered with since the accused had no access to them, according to the police. Over seven and a half hours of footage has been gathered from the cameras on college's external gates and premises, according to a police officer who spoke to The Indian Express.

 

The police discovered that three benches were stacked together in the guards room which is where the crime is likely to have taken place. Samples of what could be blood stains on one of the benches were also collected. Investigators have also compiled a list of about 25 people who visited the college on June 25 based on the footage and witness statements.

 

The Special Investigation Team probing the case had been expanded to have nine members with the addition of four sub-inspectors including a woman officer, according to police officers. The SIT is being led by Bidisha Kalita, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jadavpur Division and Pradeep Kumar Ghoshal, Assistant Commissioner of Police (South Suburbs). They had visited the scene of the crime on Sunday and had begun an examination. They also had visited the homes of the accused to gather evidence including clothes worn by the accused. The SIT has also applied for confidential statements to be given by the victims parents, which will be made before the magistrate.

A four member fact finding committee from the BJP will arrive in Kolkata on Monday morning to investigate the case further.

 

The four people who have been arrested so far in relation to the case are: former student Manojit Mishra; two seniors in the college, Pramit Mukherjee and Zaib Ahmed; and Pinaki Banerjee, the college security guard. Manojit Mishra, the prime accused was allegedly also the former Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad leader.

India