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Woman’s body with throat slit, face burnt found in Bengal village; one arrested
Police on Friday said that the accused was arrested in Bikhari village under Swarupnagar police station on Thursday night and was produced before the district court, which has remanded him to 14 days in police custody
The West Bengal police have arrested a man in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old Bangladesh woman, whose body was found with her throat slit, face burnt and hands tied to a bamboo pole, in a village in North 24 Parganas near the Indo-Bangladesh on Tuesday, officials aware of the matter said.
Police on Friday said that the accused was arrested in Bikhari village under Swarupnagar police station on Thursday night and was produced before the district court, which has remanded him to 14 days in police custody.
“The accused has been identified as Nechar Ali Molla, 55. He also stayed with the victim in Mumbai where the victim was working in a beauty parlour,” said a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named.
Police are now trying to ascertain whether the victim entered India with proper documents or she crossed the border illegally, said the officer.
“The woman has been identified as Sumaiya Akhtar, 22. She is a resident of the Dhaka area. Her parents have been informed over the phone. They would be informed officially through the high commission,” the officer added.
According to the police, the body was spotted by locals early on Tuesday in farmland, less than 1 km from the Indo-Bangla international border.
“The face portion of her body was burnt as if someone was trying to conceal the identity. Her throat was slit and her hands were tied to a bamboo pole. When the body was found, smoke was still coming out. We are waiting for the autopsy reports. Investigation is going on,” said the officer mentioned above.
Police said they also found documents and some belongings of the woman on the spot. A label on the spectacle box bearing the address of a shop at Faridpur in Bangladesh was also found, said police.
West Bengal shares a 2,216 km porous border with Bangladesh, a major portion of which is riverine and unfenced. Incidents of human trafficking and smuggling of drugs and other items are frequently detected by border guarding agencies.
Meanwhile, the incident triggered a political slugfest in West Bengal. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed the ruling Trinamool Congress (Congress) and raised questions over the law and order situation in West Bengal under chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
“It won’t be a surprise if criminals, patronised by the TMC, involved in women trafficking, are behind this. But then it would mean a silent burial to the tragic death. Will Rahul Gandhi, who is quick to shed crocodile tears, when politically expedient, castigate Mamata Banerjee for failing to protect women in West Bengal? Or will the compulsion of ‘INDIA alliance’ come in the way?” Amit Malviya, BJP’s IT head wrote on his social media handle.
Earlier in the day, BJP leader and Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi took a potshot saying such incidents showcase that the safety of women is at stake under CM Banerjee-led government in West Bengal.
Responding, Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya questioned the BJP government over the Ujjain minor rape.
“We need not discuss what Malviya has said. Any death is unfortunate. What he has to say about Ujjain where a 12-year-old, bleeding profusely, went from door-to-door seeking help? What has he to say about Manipur and Uttar Pradesh? In West Bengal victims at least do not have to go for house-to-house to seek help. The investigation is going on,” Bhattacharya said.
