Police have begun investigating the death of a woman whose unclothed body was found inside a residential complex in the J.K. Nagar colliery area of Raniganj in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district. The woman’s son and daughter have alleged that she was raped and murdered, but the allegation has not yet been established.
The body was recovered from a room in a residential building attached to a closed aluminium factory on Tuesday night. The woman lived alone in the complex. She had been separated from her husband for several years, while her son works in Mumbai and her daughter is studying in Chandigarh, according to the report by Anandabazar.
Police said the post-mortem examination has been completed. The cause of death and whether sexual assault took place will become clearer after the report is received. No one has been arrested in connection with the case so far.
The investigation is being conducted under the leadership of Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissioner Pranab Kumar. Investigators have collected CCTV footage from the area and are examining it. Several people have also been questioned, while a sniffer dog was used to search the room, the surrounding premises and nearby areas.
The residential complex is located close to the Nimcha police outpost. Its proximity to the police facility has raised questions about how the incident occurred in an area where a police presence was nearby. The Nimcha outpost is headed by Nasrin Sultana, who previously served as the officer-in-charge of the police station covering the area during the reported assault of a Durgapur Medical College student, according to the source report.
The incident took place in the assembly constituency represented by state minister and local legislator Agnimitra Pal. The family has claimed that it informed Pal and senior officials in the state government about the matter. Relatives have demanded the swift arrest of those responsible and exemplary punishment if the allegations are proved.
For the investigation, the immediate next steps are the examination of forensic and CCTV evidence, the questioning of people connected to the residential complex and the findings of the post-mortem report. Police action and any arrests will depend on the evidence gathered during the probe.
