Raiganj, Nov. 6 -- A sniffer dog was pressed into service on Friday as police intensified their investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a minor girl whose naked, partly decomposed body was recovered from a forest at Abdulghata in Raiganj of North Dinajpur district on Thursday afternoon. A forensic team also visited the crime scene on Friday to collect evidence. Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the locality over the gruesome incident.
The post-mortem examination of the body was completed on Thursday night at Raiganj Government Medical College and Hospital in the presence of an executive magistrate. Police have stepped up their investigation to identify and arrest those involved in the crime.
The girl, a resident of a village near Bogram in Raiganj, had been missing since Tuesday afternoon. According to her father, she had left home on her bicycle but did not return. After failing to trace her despite an extensive search, the family lodged a missing-person complaint with the police.
The girl was reportedly a Class V dropout.
Police eventually recovered her body from the forest after receiving information from residents of nearby villages. Her parents subsequently identified the body. Family members suspect that the girl was gang-raped and murdered.
A senior official of Raiganj Police District said: "The post-mortem examination was conducted on Thursday night. Police are investigating the matter on a priority basis. The culprits will be arrested soon."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.