R.G. Kar case: CBI seizes phone of staffer who first called victim's family
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) new Special Investigation Team (SIT), conducting a fresh probe into the rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August 2024, has seized the mobile phone of a woman employee of the hospital who was reportedly the first person to contact the victim's family after the body was discovered.
Why the Phone Was Seized
According to sources aware of the development, the woman staffer contacted the victim's family on the morning of 9 August 2024, after the junior doctor's body was found in a seminar room of the hospital. The victim's family has alleged that the employee passed on contradictory information across multiple calls made within a short span of time — a claim investigators are now working to verify.
The seized phone has already been sent for forensic examination. Investigators are analysing call records and other digital data to find answers to several critical questions surrounding the case, according to sources.
What Investigators Are Looking For
The SIT is probing how and on whose instructions the female staff member contacted the victim's family. Notably, investigators are also examining call records of numbers that contacted — or were contacted by — the staffer before she reached out to the family, in a bid to trace any larger chain of communication.
According to sources, the forensic examination aims to recover any deleted data from the device and to identify potential clues from digital communications beyond the call logs. Investigating officers believe the call records could yield important leads regarding a larger conspiracy behind the rape and murder, sources added.
State Orders Fresh Probe Into Hurried Cremation
In a parallel development, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday ordered a re-investigation by the state police into the hurried cremation of the victim — carried out on the evening of 9 August 2024 at a crematorium in Panhati, North 24 Parganas district. The circumstances surrounding the speed of the cremation have remained a point of contention since the case first came to light.
Background: The R.G. Kar Case
The rape and murder of the junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024 triggered massive public protests across West Bengal and drew national attention. The CBI took over the investigation from the state police, and the new SIT has been tasked with conducting a fresh, comprehensive probe. The case has raised serious questions about institutional response, evidence handling, and the chain of events following the discovery of the body.
With the forensic analysis of the seized phone now underway, investigators are expected to widen their circle of inquiry in the coming weeks.