Sexual assault, thrown into water alive: Autopsy reveals violent end of Bengal girl found in pond

KOLKATA: Head injuries, sexual assault and being thrown into water alive were indicated in the preliminary post-mortem report of the 11-year-old girl whose body was found stuffed in a sack and fished out of a pond around 25 km from Kolkata.

The girl went missing on Saturday after she left her home in South 24 Parganas' Baruipur to buy a birthday gift for a friend. Her family lodged a missing complaint with the police, and the body was recovered on Sunday.

Immediately after the recovery, a mob lynched a man suspecting his involvement in the girl's rape and murder.

A senior police officer on Monday said preliminary findings in the post-mortem revealed injury marks in the girl's private parts, besides scratch and bite marks on different areas of her body.

It also indicated that the girl's head had either been struck with a heavy object or banged against a hard surface, the officer said, citing the post-mortem report.

The report suggested that the child was alive when she was thrown into the pond. Water was found in her lungs and stomach during the examination.

The findings further suggested that excessive bleeding from the head injury, along with drowning, led to her death, police sources said.

Police arrested the key accused in the case on Monday, taking the total number of arrests in the case to three.

"The investigation is at a crucial stage. We are examining all evidence. The preliminary post-mortem findings are being corroborated with other material collected during the probe," a senior police officer said.

Police examined CCTV footage from the area, which purportedly showed the girl being taken away by four persons, he said, adding they were analysing the footage to establish the identities of the accused and their role in the crime.

"We are pursuing all available leads. CCTV footage, forensic evidence and witness statements are being examined. Those involved will be identified and arrested at the earliest," the officer said.