Behala death: Cops in court for man’s magisterial statement
Times of India | 1 August 2024
Kolkata: Investigators probing the death of a 54-year-old Behala woman, who was allegedly murdered by her 14-year-old daughter and her 17-year-old boyfriend, have moved court, seeking the recording of the confidential statement of the woman’s husband in front of a magistrate. Him being the lone witness to the incident, his statement would be the most important bit of evidence, police said.
Police also plan to record the statements of a few neighbours, especially one, who was present on the scene outside the family’s home on Sunday, when the girl reportedly confessed to have killed her mother.This neighbour had told police the girl was surprisingly calm and that she had said she plotted the murder with her boyfriend as her mother rebuked her and tried to stop her from being in the relationship with the boy. Officers said they would seize the mobile, on which a video was recorded of the two minors confessing to the crime. As primary extra judicial evidence, police will send the video for forensic collaboration. “We are collating as much circumstantial evidence as possible, including the confessional statement of the two in front of neighbours, their mobile records, tower locations and behavioural changes in the two minors,” said a senior officer.
DC (Behala) Rahul De told TOI, “Given the uncommon nature of the crime, we need to develop evidence carefully. At this point, we need to collect all available evidence.”
Police also plan to take the victim’s husband’s help to recreate the alleged murder that took place on the night of June 6 when the couple was sleeping in their room. Forensic experts will also be present. “Forensic tests will be carried out. Given that the crime scene has been tampered with and the bed sheet (on which the murder allegedly took place) has been changed, we are more likely to get leads from the reconstruction,” said an officer.
Police have started the process for bone ossification test on the two minor accused to confirm their ages. As police plan to treat the boy as an adult, given his cunning and the extent of the plotting, officers have sought help from his school to check his age mentioned on his certificates.
Police said they were also considering asking the man to undergo a behavioural pattern analysis at a govt hospital. “We would like to check his mental condition and the reason behind him keeping his wife’s murder secret for 52 days,” said a police officer. But police dismissed claims that they would move court, seeking a narco test of the man.