Bengal minor rape case: CCTV footage shows accused leaving on bicycle before committing crime

CCTV footage has clearly spotted the man accused of kidnapping and raping a 10-year-old schoolgirl in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district in a shop and later leaving in a bicycle. He allegedly raped and murdered her later, according to reports.

The 19-year-old, dressed in a pink shirt, was seen talking to another man in the shop before leaving the place on his bicycle. Police confirmed that the suspect later picked up the minor victim on his bicycle, NDTV reported.

The girl's body was found on Saturday morning in a secluded area about a kilometre from the Mashishamari police outpost. She had left home for a coaching class.

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Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday directed the police to register the alleged rape-murder case of the 10-year-old girl in South 24 Parganas district under the POCSO Act and ensure that the culprit gets capital punishment within three months, PTI reported.

Her direction came on a day when the Calcutta High Court ordered that the post-mortem examination of the schoolgirl be conducted at AIIMS Kalyani on Monday morning, in the presence of the additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Baruipur court.

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"Those who are protesting I will say that please do that because it helps us to grow stronger and it is also your democratic right. But remember that those bad videos shown on social media are spoiling the children and the crime factor in children is increasing. But I do not hold them responsible," she said.

"Even if a small incident happens in West Bengal, there is much hullabaloo. But in case of similar cases  in some other places, people remain mum," she claimed.

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Earlier in the day, a large crowd took out protest rallies, blocked roads, and burned tyres demanding justice for the murdered girl. BJP leaders, including state president Sukanta Majumdar, travelled to Kultuli to organize a rally.

According to a senior official from the commission, a team from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) also visited Kultuli to speak with the girl’s parents and gather information about the crime."What is happening in West Bengal? This is an alarming situation, and the criminal must be punished," the official said.

Additionally, a group of senior and junior doctors from Kolkata visited Kultuli in the evening to meet the girl’s family.

(With inputs from PTI)