The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Abhijit Mondal, the Officer-in-Charge of Tala Police Station, in connection with the alleged tampering of evidence in the brutal rape and murder case of a 31-year-old doctor in Kolkata.
The arrest comes after the CBI revealed in a Kolkata court today that former RG Kar Medical College principal, Dr. Sandip Ghosh, had spoken to Mondal in the hours following the discovery of the doctor’s body on the hospital premises. The agency alleges a potential “nexus” between the two and is seeking to uncover the extent of their involvement.
Both Dr. Ghosh and Mondal have been remanded in CBI custody for two days. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 17.
The CBI’s counsel argued that the delay in registering an FIR, over 14 hours after the doctor’s body was found, is suspicious. They maintain that Dr. Ghosh, who was then the head of the hospital, had a duty to report the incident immediately, especially given the possibility of sexual assault. The CBI believes Dr. Ghosh’s actions, along with Mondal’s alleged interference, point to a larger conspiracy to cover up the crime.
Mondal’s lawyer argued that his client is not an accused in the rape and murder, but merely a witness. He argued that the alleged delay in registering the FIR constitutes, at worst, dereliction of duty, which could be investigated through a departmental inquiry.
This is the CBI’s first major development in the case since taking over the investigation from the Kolkata Police a month ago. Previously, the Kolkata Police had arrested civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy in connection with the case. The CBI took over Roy’s custody after the high court transferred the investigation to the central agency.
The Trinamool Congress government, under fire for its handling of the case, has been questioning the progress made by the CBI since it took over. This arrest, however, indicates that the central agency is making headway in their investigation and is determined to unearth the truth behind this horrific crime.
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