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‘Unable to join several dots’: CBI official on Kolkata rape-murder probe
CBI officials said that lack of evidence and proof to support gang rape claims are roadblocks in the ongoing Kolkata rape case investigation.
A month after the horrific rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said it continues to face roadblocks to conclude the probe and connect all the dots that led to the brutal crime.
A senior CBI official said that the agency was unable to conduct the probe smoothly due to a lack of evidence in the case, reported PTI.
The central agency took over the investigation in the Kolkata rape and murder case on August 13 following an order of the Calcutta High Court, but no other accused have been named in the case yet, despite many claims of the involvement of multiple people.
The police arrested Sanjoy Roy, a Kolkata Police civic volunteer, the next day in this connection.
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Lack of evidence in Kolkata rape-murder case
During the investigation, it was found that Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, ordered the demolition of a restroom and a toilet close to that seminar room on August 10. The CBI suspects that key pieces of evidence were lost during the demolition, hampering the investigation.
"There is a lack of evidence in this case. That is the reason why our detectives are unable to come to a conclusion. From circumstantial evidence, questioning of people and the DNA evidence do not show involvement of multiple persons in the sexual assault on the woman," the officer told PTI.
Echoing the evidence tampering claims, the mother of the victim said, “When we reached there (after her death), we found several people inside the seminar hall, one policeman guarding the entrance of it and many more standing outside. It can be assumed that the entire scene was very carefully arranged. Going by the brutality of the crime, the scene could not be so.”
However, the claims of a gang rape were rubbished when the forensic tests conducted at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) showed a match between the DNA collected from the victim and that of accused Sanjoy Roy.
"Separate DNA profiling on samples gathered from the victim and Roy and the DNA comparing with other seized evidence from the crime scene also corroborated the CFSL report," the CBI official said.
Read more: Kolkata rape-murder: Mamata says 'never offered money',top cop offered to resign
Financial irregularities
The Enforcement Directorate, in a simultaneous probe, uncovered financial irregularities in the RG Kar Medical College, alleging that Sandip Ghosh played a vital role in siphoning off funds and orchestrated 84 illegal appointments during his tenure.
The ED probe also revealed that Ghosh and his wife owned a luxurious bungalow in the South 24 Parganas district, along with multiple other large properties. The ED has filed an ECIR against Ghosh and started their probe. An ECIR is generally filed by the ED as the case information report. It is similar to a first information report (FIR) in criminal cases.
(With inputs from PTI)
