The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed a special Sealdah court in Kolkata that, as of now, there is no evidence to support the claim that the 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was gang-raped. The investigation is still ongoing, according to The Indian Express.
Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, and Abhijit Mondal, the former officer-in-charge of the Tala police station, have been in CBI custody for three days and were presented in court, which has extended their remand until September 20.
During the court proceedings, the CBI requested more time to investigate potential evidence tampering and to explore all avenues. The CBI lawyer stated that both Ghosh and Mondal were uncooperative during questioning and required further custodial interrogation to examine call records, DVR footage, CCTV data, and other case-related information.
Before the hearing, advocates from the Sealdah Bar urged the judge not to grant bail to either accused. The court order noted that during their police custody from September 15 to September 17, the accused were interrogated based on call detail records (CDRs) and confronted with relevant records and witnesses. The collection of CCTV footage from the Tala police station has also been completed, and further interrogation based on this data is needed.
The CBI’s counsel mentioned that new suspected mobile numbers had emerged during the interrogation, and further verification of all phone calls exchanged by Ghosh and Mondal was necessary to explore any potential criminal conspiracy among the main and co-accused.
Additionally, the CBI highlighted that both Ghosh and Mondal facilitated the hurried cremation of the deceased doctor, despite her family’s insistence on a second autopsy.
Ghosh was initially arrested on September 2 for alleged financial irregularities at the RG Kar hospital, while Mondal was arrested on September 15 in connection with the rape and murder case. The investigation has also led to the arrest of a Kolkata Police civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy. The case is now under CBI investigation following an order from the Calcutta High Court.