Baruipur: A preliminary post-mortem examination of the 11-year-old girl whose body was recovered from a pond in Baruipur, located approximately 25 kilometres from Kolkata, has indicated head trauma, sexual assault, and active drowning. The minor had gone missing on Saturday afternoon after leaving her residence in the South 24 Parganas district to purchase a birthday gift for a friend. Following an anxious overnight search by her relatives, her body was discovered on Sunday morning packed inside a gunny sack and submerged in a local pond, inciting widespread public anger and violent clashes in the community.
According to senior law enforcement officials familiar with the medical findings, the initial autopsy report documented severe external trauma, including lacerations, scratch marks, and bite marks across multiple areas of her body, alongside physical evidence confirming sexual assault. The report further detailed a massive internal cranial injury, suggesting the victim’s head was either struck repeatedly with a heavy weapon or violently impacted against a hard surface. Crucially, forensic pathochemical analysis revealed the presence of water inside both her lungs and stomach, proving that the child was still conscious and breathing when she was thrown into the pond. Investigators concluded that a combination of profuse hemorrhaging from the head trauma and active drowning accelerated her death.
The recovery of the body instantly ignited a volatile situation in the Surjyapur area, leading an enraged local mob to confront a 26-year-old man suspected of involvement in the crime and beat him to death before police reinforcements could secure the perimeter. Protesters subsequently blocked regional arterial roads and disrupted train services along the Sealdah-Namkhana railway network for several hours, targeting police and central paramilitary forces with stone-pelting. Peace was partially restored after senior administrative officials announced the formation of a six-member Special Investigation Team to spearhead the fast-track probe.
The state police department confirmed on Monday that the primary suspect has been taken into custody, increasing the total number of administrative arrests in connection with the homicide to three. Detectives are currently reviewing local CCTV surveillance footage, which captured the victim being led away by a group of individuals on Saturday evening. The state forensic unit is working to cross-match the collected video profiles, digital evidence, and circumstantial witness testimonies against the preliminary post-mortem findings to formally establish the precise timeline and individual culpability of all active perpetrators.
