Skin under PGT doc’s nails is of accused, says forensic report
Times of India | 12 August 2024
Kolkata: Investigators on Sunday found the strongest evidence yet against Sanjay Roy, the prime accused in the rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital: traces of blood and skin found under the victim's fingernails are a perfect match with Roy's, and correspond to the injuries he suffered.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday had directed the police to ensure a fast-track trial, calling it a "despicable crime". Kolkata Police sources said they tried their best to speed up their probe after that.
The victim — even half-asleep — had desperately tried to fight back, and it was this fight that gave investigators the proof they needed, said a sen-ior cop. "She had tried to res-ist, and caused deep injury marks and scratches on the hands of the accused. In a medical examination, the scratch injuries on Roy's body matched the skin and blood samples collected from the fingernails of the victim. We expect to get the final forensic report soon," he told TOI.
The postmortem report has said the death was due to smothering and throttling. There are aberration marks and bruise marks on the victim's face, on the eyes till the neck. The report mentions that the accused "got certain advantage as the victim was in deep sleep at the time of the attack." The report, however, said that the judicial inquest was wrong in suggesting a collarbone and pelvis fracture.
Police commissioner Vineet Goyal said the police had "nothing to hide". Meeting the protesting students on the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital campus, he said: "We have handed over the postmortem report to the victim's fam-ily, and have apprised them of the probe."
The police claimed that the only motive, for the prime accused, appeared to be lust, or sexual gratification. "There is no evidence of the victim and the accused knowing each other," an officer said, but added that that line was still being probed. The cops also said that a male doctor, who was a close friend of the victim, had also given his statement, as had several other doctors and colleagues, whom she was close to.
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Interestingly, the cops said they learnt that the victim had a tiff with a civic volunteer some months back, but no one seems to be sure if that was Roy. At least one woman doctor, however, told the probe team that she — not the victim — had an argument with Roy.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is set to meet the three-member forensic team which conducted the postmortem with some specific queries on Monday. The SIT wants to know — based on the evidence collected — whether the injuries on the victim's body could have been caused by Roy alone, or whether he had been working with an accomplice.
This question is also troubling the victim's friends and family. "We had asked the (additional) police commissioner on whether there was someone else. We have been told that police are investigating that aspect as well," the victim's father told reporters after meeting the additional CP at their home. "We suspect an insider's role," he added.
Commissioner Goyal also requested students to volunteer information "if you think anyone is involved", promising to look into all such claims. He also asked them to be wary of several rumours that were doing the rounds.