Conviction of accused in rape of newborn in Kolkata secured in 79 days: Police Commissioner
The Hindu
Kolkata Police Commissioner announces swift conviction and death sentence for rapist of seven-month-old baby.
Commissioner of Kolkata Police Manoj Kumar Verma on Wednesday (February 19, 2025) said the Kolkata Police secured a speedy conviction in the case involving the rape and attempted murder of a seven-month-old baby within 79 days of the crime.
The convict, 34-year-old Rajib Ghosh, was awarded the death sentence at the Bankshall court on Tuesday (February 18).
“This is probably the first case where capital punishment was awarded to the rape convict while the victim is still surviving,” the Police Commissioner added.
Mr Ghosh was convicted of kidnapping, raping, and attempting to murder the newborn on November 30, 2024, in Kolkata’s Burtolla Police Station area. He was arrested on December 5 morning from his home at Gopiballavpur in West Bengal’s Jhargram district.
According to the Police Commissioner, Mr Ghosh was charged with sections 137 (2) and 65 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, pertaining to kidnapping, and rape of a minor under the age of sixteen, respectively. He was also charged with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, which deals with the punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault.
“The convict, who was then a suspect, was arrested within 4 days of the crime, with the help of technical evidence. A Special Investigation Team was formed that monitored the case on a day-to-day basis. Within 28 days, we could submit the chargesheet and the conviction was secured within 79 days,” Mr Verma said.
The arrest and conviction followed the collection of technical evidence including gait pattern analysis of the convict, tallying his dental pattern with bite marks, DNA profile matching, and other methodologies.
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