Police have launched an investigation after the body of a woman was recovered from a housing complex in JK Nagar, in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district, with her family alleging that she was raped and murdered. No arrest had been made when the report was published, and the allegation remains subject to the post-mortem and police investigation.
The woman’s body was recovered from a room in a housing complex in the JK Nagar colliery area of Raniganj on Tuesday night. The report said she was found unclothed. Her son and daughter made the allegations of rape and murder, following which police began investigating the case.
A post-mortem examination has been completed. Police are awaiting the report to establish the cause of death and determine whether sexual assault took place, according to the report. The authorities have not announced a confirmed cause of death or identified any accused person.
The investigation is being led under the supervision of Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissioner Pranab Kumar. Investigators have collected and are examining CCTV footage from the area, while several people have been questioned. A police dog was also used to examine the room and surrounding area.
The woman lived alone in a housing block belonging to a closed aluminium factory in the JK Nagar colliery area. She had been separated from her husband for a long time, while her son worked in Mumbai and her daughter studied in Chandigarh, the report said.
The location has raised questions about security and police visibility because the housing complex is situated close to the Nimcha police outpost. The report noted that the officer currently in charge of the outpost, Nasrin Sultana, had previously served as the officer-in-charge of a police station during the investigation of an assault case involving a student of Durgapur Medical College.
The area falls within the Assembly constituency of state minister and local MLA Agnimitra Pal. The woman’s family said they had informed the minister and senior officials of the state government. They have demanded the prompt arrest of those responsible and exemplary punishment if the allegations are established.
The next major developments in the case will be the post-mortem findings, the examination of CCTV footage and the outcome of the questioning and forensic investigation. Police had not announced an arrest at the time of publication.
