Police arrests two minors for murdering former NGO president working in Kolkata's red light area

Dwaipayan Ghosh | TNN | Nov 11, 2016, KOLKATA: The Bathtala police has claimed to have solved the murder of one of the earliest presidents of the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Samiti and anti-trafficking crusader Kavita Roy(58) inside the Durbar office on November 3. The cops have detained two 16-year-old girls from Bangaon in this connection. Both the girls were apprehended from Siliguri.

Sources said the two minors were missing from the room where the body of the activist was found. These girls were reportedly rescued from Premchand Boral Street in Bowbazar a day and brought to the NGO's office at Nilmoni Mitra Lane for counselling. Police has so far not found any one else involved with the murder but have not completely ruled out yet.

"The two girls became paranoid when Kavita asked the parents of the two accused to come down to Kolkata and join the counselling. At least one of the girls had earlier being found involved in the local North 24 Parganas prostitution racket and she had repeatedly said that she loved a fancy life and did not want to return to her village. Accordingly, the two girls used a heavy object to murder Kavita late on November 2 evening and then fled to Sealdah. From there, these two accused then fled all the way to Siliguri in a general compartment of a train," said an investigating officer.

The two girls though claimed before cops that they had no way out but to get involved in the crime as they were being pushed into prostitution. Durbar has denied any such charges.

Sources in police though maintained that rather than cops, it was the child welfare organizations and NGOs - shaken by the murder - who played a pivotal part in tracking the accused. Sources said that once the two girls reached Siliguri, they were identified as "trafficked" and put into a home run by CINI Asha. Police said that initially the two girls refused to identify themselves or part with their addresses, saying they have forgotten everything. However, they broke down on Monday late evening before CINI counsellors and the police was duly informed by the NGO. Police though maintained that the arrest was based on source information saying they already had said that these girls were "headed towards North Bengal."