First arrests in nun case - Suspected rapist caught in Mumbai

TT, Calcutta, March 26: The state CID today arrested two persons in connection with the rape of a nun and the robbery at a Ranaghat school 12 days ago.

Mohammad Salim Sheikh was arrested in Mumbai early this morning and Gopal Sarkar at Habra in North 24-Parganas.

"On the basis of information gathered so far, looting appears to have been the only objective of the gang. The rape of the 74-year-old nun was not a pre-planned act," claimed a CID officer who had questioned Salim.

Preliminary investigation suggests that Salim, 44, is a Bangladeshi national who had fled to Mumbai after the atrocity in the Convent of Jesus and Mary High School on March 14, the officer added.

Sarkar, said to be in his early thirties, had illegally entered India in 2002 and had been staying in Goalbati village since then, the officer said.

"At least eight persons were involved in the looting at the school and one of them had raped the nun. We suspect that all the other gang members have already fled to Bangladesh," according to the officer.

The police are yet to answer the following questions on record:

• Why did the gang zero in on this particular school?
• Were Salim and Sarkar present on the premises when the attack took place? (Off the record, police sources claimed that Salim was the solitary rapist and Sarkar had given the gang shelter at his home.)
• Did the arrested persons resemble any of the four photographs and three sketches the cops had released? (One officer claimed that Salim resembled the suspect in a balaclava - tagged No. 3 on the footage that had been released by the police on March 14 night. Asked, Dilip Adak, DIG (operations), CID, paused for a few seconds and said: "No, there is no similarity between Salim's face and the photographs and sketches.")
• What made Salim flee to Mumbai and Sarkar stay on in Habra while the others might have slipped into Bangladesh?
• Was any local resident involved?
• Could the police recover the cash and valuables looted from the school?

Salim, now back in Bengal, was produced in a court in Ranaghat and remanded in police custody for 14 days.

Other than Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code that deals with rape, two IPC sections - 395 (dacoity) and 397 (dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) - were included in the FIR.

According to CID sources, Salim was posing as a fish vendor at Mumbai's Nagpada, close to Chhatrapati Shivaji railway station.

"Two days ago, we were provided a cellphone number by the CID and requested to track the person who was using it. After tracing the person, we informed the CID, and sleuths from Bengal came here. We provided them with support," said an officer in Mumbai police.

On Sarkar's alleged involvement, a CID officer said: "He works as a mason and painter. A few days ago, the school had engaged some men for painting the building and we came to know it was Sarkar who bagged the contract. We suspect he had tipped off the gang about the layout of the building."

Adak held a news conference but did not answer many of the questions.

"He (Adak) was not part of the investigation... Rajiv Kumar, the additional director-general of the CID, fielded him instead of any officer connected with the probe to avoid the possibility of disclosure of any information related to the case," a CID insider said.

A statement issued by the Bengal government on behalf of Mamata Banerjee on March 14 had read: "WB CM has ordered a CID probe into the incident and strongly condemned the horrific incident. The West Bengal chief minister also said that religious politics was being practised in the name of ' ghar wapasi'. She added that religious fanaticism is on the rise."

For some reason, the statement could not be found on Trinamul's website this evening.

"Our chief minister has the habit of giving the verdict even before the probe is over.... The CID under her failed to establish her claim. I think she will take a lesson from this and stop giving judgements before the probe is complete," said BJP state president Rahul Sinha.

Mamata had tried to defuse the school attack backlash by deciding to hand over the probe to the CBI. "There was information that the accused had fled to Bangladesh and that's why she wanted to get the CBI," said an IPS officer.

The Centre is yet to formally hand over the probe to the CBI. Asked whether the arrests would have any impact on the state's plea for a CBI probe, Adak did not comment.