Bongaon encounter: accused in teenager’s rape and murder dies

The Bongaon encounter early on Tuesday, October 27, left a 23-year-old man accused of raping and murdering a teenage student dead, according to police sources in West Bengal. Police said the shooting occurred while officers were reconstructing the crime in Gaighata in North 24 Parganas.

The accused, Prahlad Das, allegedly took a police service weapon during the exercise between 3 am and 3.30 am. Police sources said he fired towards officers and entered a nearby pond while trying to get away.

Officers fired in what police described as self-defence. Das was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead, according to the police account.

Special team examining the original case

The Bongaon encounter followed Das’s arrest on Sunday over allegations involving the sexual assault and killing of the student, who was 17 and studying in Class 11. A court in Bongaon had ordered that he remain in police custody for 10 days.

The student had been reported missing on Saturday night after going to a musical event near a local market. Her family and neighbours searched overnight, and her body was found in Gaighata on Sunday morning.

Police arrested Das following a complaint from her family. Investigators said he was known to the student, and a post-mortem examination was ordered as part of the inquiry.

Bongaon Police District superintendent Bidisha Kalita Dasgupta had announced a special investigation team headed by the additional superintendent of police for the area. The inquiry was also examining whether anyone else had participated in the crime.

Protests over the student’s death had led to additional security deployment in the neighbourhood. Rapid Action Force and Combat Force personnel were among those sent to maintain order.

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