Sun Sep 15 11:17:35 UTC 2024: ## CBI Arrests Kolkata Cop and Former Medical College Principal in Doctor Rape-Murder Case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Kolkata Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abhijit Mondal and former principal of RG Kar Medical College, Dr Sandip Ghosh, for alleged tampering with evidence in the rape-murder case of a 31-year-old doctor.
The CBI presented evidence suggesting communication between Mondal and Ghosh in the hours following the doctor’s death, raising suspicions of a potential cover-up. The agency told the court that they believe a nexus existed between the two, and intend to investigate further.
The arrests mark the first two made by the CBI in their month-long investigation of the case. Earlier, Kolkata Police had arrested civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy, who was later taken into custody by the CBI after the High Court transferred the investigation to the central agency.
Both Mondal and Ghosh were produced in court today and remanded in CBI custody for two days. The case will be heard again on September 17.
The CBI has alleged that Ghosh, as the head of the hospital, failed to register a police complaint immediately after the doctor’s body was discovered, resulting in a delay of over 14 hours in filing the FIR. The agency believes this delay was deliberate and part of a conspiracy to downplay the incident as suicide.
Mondal’s lawyer argued that his client was not an accused in the rape and murder case, and the arrest was based on alleged dereliction of duty, which could have been handled through a departmental inquiry.
The CBI, however, maintains that Mondal may have played a role in a larger conspiracy to cover up the crime.
This development comes amidst criticism of the Trinamool Congress government over the handling of the case, with the party facing questions about the CBI’s progress in the investigation.
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