Know how the Kolkata Police cracked the RG Kar Rape and Murder case and arrested the accused

In a significant breakthrough, the Kolkata Police on Saturday arrested Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the rape and murder of a PGT trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital. The investigators pieced together a complex puzzle using circumstantial evidence, including CCTV footage and a missing Bluetooth headphone, to nail the culprit, claimed a police source. According to police, Roy was the only perpetrator who committed the crime.

The probe revealed Sanjay Roy's familiarity with the hospital's layout and unrestricted access to the seminar room where the crime occurred. He was working for the civic volunteer welfare organisation, entrusted with the job to facilitate the admission and medical attention of any Kolkata police officer or civic volunteer, on occasions of being rushed to RG Kar MCH in case of any emergency. “Thus he had access inside the hospital building, we are still probing why was he there at the hospital so late at night on Thursday”, claimed a senior police officer part of the investigation.

On the fateful day, the victim, an on-call doctor at the chest department, had just completed a 36-hour shift and was resting in the seminar room. She was last spotted by another resident doctor inside the Seminar room, resting under the blanked at around 3 am. “Which means the crime happened after 3am on Friday morning”, claimed an officer. Sanjay Roy, under the influence of alcohol, entered the room and found the doctor sleeping under a brown blanket.

The investigation exposed a chilling tale of savagery, with circumstantial evidence suggesting the victim was smothered in her sleep and then raped. Injury marks on Sanjay Roy's body indicated resistance from the victim. “The CCTV video from the corridor has the main lead. There were others spotted in the CCTV. They were mostly doctors. Everyone had been examined and they were made to give details of every minute of that night. We corroborated and found them genuine. This accused was also spotted in the CCTV.  However, Sanjay Roy's account was fraught with inconsistencies and lapses that couldn't be substantiated with evidence,” revealed a senior officer.

A crucial lead emerged from CCTV footage, showing Sanjay Roy wearing a Bluetooth headphone around his neck on his way to the seminar hall, only to mysteriously disappear when he left the room, which was around half an hour later. The police recovered the headphone at the crime scene, further incriminating the accused. “The headphone is the most crucial link in this case,” according to a police officer.

The police also examined the victim's phone and found several porn videos of the incest genre, suggesting a possible motive of perversion. The accused's injury marks and the circumstances of the crime further supported this theory.

On Friday, the body of a female post-graduate trainee doctor of the chest medicine department was found dead in the seminar hall of the RG Kar hospital in Kolkata. Her body, discovered by fellow students, showed signs of injury and was semi-nude. An initial autopsy report revealed that the victim had been raped and murdered. Several injuries were found on her body.  

The incident has led to a massive outcry, with medical students across the state demanding justice and taking to the streets. Authorities have registered a murder case and established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the matter. The RG Kar Medical College students held a candle march in Kolkata, calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into the heinous crime.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the incident “feels like a personal loss” to her, and has vowed to ensure that justice is served. “The incident is unfortunate and despicable. It feels like a personal loss to me. Their [doctors] anger and demand is justified. I support it. Police have also accepted their demands… I have directed for the case to be taken to a fast-track court. If needed, the accused will be hanged, even though I am not pro-capital punishment. But they should be given the strictest punishment,” said Banerjee. Mamata Banerjee also spoke to the family of the victim and assured them of proper action in this case.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal while holding a press conference on Saturday claimed that the investigation is watertight and transparent. “In case the family of the deceased wants the investigation be handed over to some central agency, we have no problem. The investigation is on and the accused has been arrested. This is a very unfortunate incident and we are deeply pained. The accused is a rapist, a criminal of the highest order," Goyal added.