Latest news with #DetectiveDepartment
Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Indian Express
Kolkata law college rape: 4 accused taken to crime scene, police say crucial step in probe
The Detective Department (DD) of the Kolkata Police on Friday took the four accused persons to the crime scene and reconstructed the alleged rape incident at a law college in Kolkata, with officers terming this as a 'crucial step in the ongoing investigation'. The reconstruction, which involved the main accused, a security guard and two others, took place in the early hours of Friday morning, lasting nearly five hours. A team of police personnel, accompanied by the accused, reached the college around 3 am, with a significant police presence deployed outside. The reconstruction was videographed and a 3D scan of the crime scene was also conducted. 'The reconstruction is an important part of the investigation,' an officer said. 'What we have got from this reconstruction will be corroborated with the victim's complaint and other information,' he added. According to the 24-year-old woman's complaint, on June 25, a rape attempt was first made in the college's union room, after which she was taken to the security guard's room where she was allegedly sexually assaulted. The investigation into the rape case, initially handled by a 9-member Special Investigation Team, was later handed over to the DD. Authorities have collected seven hours of CCTV footage from the college campus from the day of the incident. Several people, including the college's vice principal, have been questioned and the call detail records of the accused have been examined. Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Kolkata Law College Rape Case: Detective Dept takes over probe from SIT, charges of voyeurism, kidnapping added to FIR
The Detective Department (DD) of Kolkata Police on Wednesday took over the probe from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged rape of a 24-year-old student at a law college in Kolkata. The SIT, initially comprising five members and later expanded to nine, will now assist the Detective Department in their comprehensive inquiry, Kolkata Police said. This comes a day after Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma noted 'swift probe' and said the SIT has gathered 'a lot of evidence that is being analysed'. So far, four persons have been arrested in connection with the June 25 incident – prime accused Monojit Mishra (31), a contractual staffer who was a TMC students' wing functionary; two students – Zaib Ahmed (19) and Pramit Mukherjee (20) – and a security guard, Pinaki Banerjee. It is alleged that the two students allegedly forced the woman into the guard's room and stopped her from escaping while Mishra raped her. Meanwhile, to strengthen the prosecution's case, the Kolkata Police has roped in renowned Special Public Prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee, known for his high conviction rate, for the trial. 'The handover of the case diary was completed on Wednesday afternoon, marking a new phase in the probe,' said a senior Kolkata Police officer. Meanwhile, the police have added additional charges against the accused. These include BNS sections 77 (voyeurism), 118 (1) (causing grievous hurt), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), 140(3) (kidnapping), 140(4) (kidnapping in order to murder), among others. Initially, the case was registered under the BNS sections of gangrape and wrongful confinement. 'The addition of charges like voyeurism for allegedly recording videos of the assault, and kidnapping, reflects the deepening nature of the investigation and our commitment to building a robust case,' said the officer. In her complaint, the woman has alleged that during the sexual assault, the accused made a video of the act, which they then used to try and silence her. Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior police officer said the woman had told the investigators that the video of the crime was on Monojit Mishra's cellphone. The SIT had earlier retrieved the CCTV footage of the 'eleventh hour' — the hour preceding the crime. Police believe that the CCTV footage will be crucial evidence against the accused. Both the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) from the law college's CCTV cameras and the seized mobile phones of the accused, including that of Mishra, have already been sent for forensic examination. On Tuesday, the Alipore Police court had extended the police custody of Monojit Mishra, Zaib Ahmed, and Pramit Mukherjee to July 8, while the security guard's police custody was extended till July 4. Seeking 10 more days of custody of the four arrested accused, the police had told the court that medical, circumstantial, and electronic evidence collected by them corroborated the woman's statement. Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court is set to hear PILs seeking CBI and court-monitored probes into the rape case. The petitioners sought the transfer of the probe, arguing it was necessary to ensure an impartial probe free from local influence or interference and claimed that the main accused, Monojit Mishra, has a close proximity with the ruling TMC in the state. The Division Bench of Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das De is likely to hear the PILs on Thursday. Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Time of India
Absconding Wazahat Khan held in Kolkata in hate speech case
The Kolkata Police on Monday evening arrested Wazahat Khan, who had lodged a complaint against social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli for allegedly uploading a video with communal comments , in the city, a senior officer said. Khan was hiding in a flat in the Amherst Street area from where he was picked up, the officer said. Khan, who was absconding, has been booked under various sections of the BNS, including those dealing with promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, and insults or attempts to insult religion. An FIR was registered against him at the Golf Green Police Station in south Kolkata for allegedly promoting hate speech and hurting religious sentiments through his social media posts. The other charges slapped against him included sections on provoking breach of peace and statements conducing to public mischief. Live Events The personnel from the Kolkata Police Anti-Rowdy Section of the Detective Department earlier conducted raids at Digha and Howrah in search of the absconding accused, an officer said. Khan ignored three consecutive summonses for questioning and remained on the run till he was arrested, police said. The arrest followed a joint raid of the Kolkata Police and officials of the city police's Detective Department. Earlier, on May 30, Sharmistha Panoli was arrested by Kolkata Police from Gurugram in Haryana after a video she uploaded on social media drew widespread outrage. Khan, the prime complainant against Panoli, had lodged his complaint against the influencer under several sections, including those pertaining to malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings leading the police to lodge a case against her on May 15. In the video, Panoli allegedly used abusive language and made communal remarks criticising a section of Bollywood celebrities for their silence on Operation Sindoor. The video in question was later deleted, and Panoli had tendered an unconditional apology on social media. The 22-year law student was subsequently presented before a magistrate here and sent to 14-day judicial custody. Panoli was granted conditional interim bail by the Calcutta High Court on June 5 on grounds that the complaint against her did not disclose any cognisable offence. She was set free a day later. The court, while refusing to grant her interim bail earlier, had said that freedom of speech is not absolute and does not allow anyone to hurt religious sentiments. Meanwhile, multiple complaints had also been lodged against Wazahat Khan with Kolkata Police, including one by the Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad. The Parishad's complaint, dated June 2 and addressed to the Officer-in-Charge of the Garden Reach Police Station, accused Khan of using derogatory, inflammatory, and sexually explicit language targeting Hindu deities, religious traditions, and the community at large. After Panoli's arrest, Khan went missing with his father Saadat Khan telling the media that the family had been receiving threatening calls accusing them of "ruining Panoli's life".
