Kolkata Rape and Murder case: CBI secures 3-day custody of RG Kar Ex-Principal and Inspector, suspects ‘bigger conspiracy’

A day after the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, Sandip Ghosh, and Tala police station officer-in-charge, Abhijit Mondol, were arrested for their involvement in the rape and murder of a junior doctor, a Sealdah court remanded them in CBI custody until September 17.

The CBI told the court that "a bigger conspiracy" might be involved and that Ghosh and Mondol played key roles in the crime. They were in contact, with Ghosh giving instructions to Mondol on handling the rape-murder case. The CBI requested three days of custody to question them face-to-face, stating that both tried to "downplay the incident" and "cover up" the crime.

On September 2, Ghosh was arrested by the CBI for alleged financial irregularities during his time at the institute and is currently in judicial custody. The CBI has accused Ghosh and Mondol of tampering with the crime scene, destroying evidence, breaking official rules, engaging in a criminal conspiracy, and misleading investigators.

In court on Sunday, the CBI noted that Mondol took an unusually long time to reach the crime scene, even though it was just a five-minute drive. They also questioned the police for filing a general diary stating the victim was unconscious and pointed out a 14-hour delay in registering an FIR.

The CBI said Mondol was informed about the incident at 10:03 am but didn’t arrive at the scene until 11 am.

Mondol appeared before the CBI on Saturday and was arrested after being questioned for over seven hours. The CBI sources said he couldn’t properly explain his actions after the junior doctor’s body was found. As the officer in charge of Tala police station, which covers RG Kar Hospital, he is accused of tampering with the crime scene and delaying the FIR.

A day after the junior doctor's body was discovered in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College on August 9th, Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was taken into custody.

On Sunday around 11 am, CBI officers and Mondol left the CGO complex in a car while protesters outside chanted slogans and demanded the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal.

The late-night arrests on Saturday happened while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was talking with protesting junior doctors outside her Kalighat residence. Earlier, she had visited the protest site near Swasthya Bhavan with state DGP Rajeev Kumar. The talks broke down again when the junior doctors, represented by 30 delegates, insisted on live-streaming the meeting, which was not agreed to.