RG Kar rape and murder: CBI gets 3-day custody for Sandip Ghosh, Abhijit Mondal

Kolkata, September 15 (IANS): A special court on Sunday granted three-day remand to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of former principal of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital Sandip Ghosh and former station house officer (SHO) of Tala police station Abhijit Mondal, who were arrested in connection with the gruesome rape and murder of a junior doctor last month.

The court agreed with the CBI counsel’s argument that although Mondal had no “direct role” in the rape and murder case, he was accused of tampering with evidence and delaying the initial investigation process while the Kolkata Police was handling the rape and murder case.

Later, the case was transferred to the Central Investigation Agency on the orders of the Calcutta High Court.

On Sunday, the CBI counsel said that the investigating officers had received concrete information about the phone conversation between Ghosh and Mondal on the morning of August 9, when the junior doctor’s body was found in the seminar hall on the premises of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital.

The lawyer argued that the conversation between Ghosh and Mondal that morning required a thorough investigation and that it was therefore necessary to take the two into custody for further questioning.

The CBI counsel also pointed out certain examples of lax investigative techniques used by the Calcutta Police in the initial phase of their investigation.

According to him, the death was initially described as a suicide to the victim’s parents. In addition, the seizure of evidence in the case began late.

Finally, the special judge accepted the arguments of the CBI counsel and remanded Ghosh and Mondal in CBI custody for three days.

On Saturday evening, the CBI arrested Mondal after a seven-hour interrogation.

Ghosh, who was earlier arrested by the CBI in a case of financial irregularities in the institution. He is currently in judicial custody.

Ghosh was also reported as “arrested” in the rape and murder case on Saturday evening.