RG Kar tragedy: CBI custody of Sandip Ghosh, ex-SHO Mondal extended by three days

Kolkata: A special court here on Tuesday extended, by three days, the CBI custody of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital's former Principal Sandip Ghosh and Tala Police station's former SHO Abhijit Mondal in connection with the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor within the hospital premises last month.

The Central Bureau of Investigation's counsel told the court that the frequent calls between Ghosh and Mondal on the morning of August 9 when the body of the victim was recovered from the seminar hall of the hospital indicated that they were involved in some kind of conspiracy in the matter.

He also said that the call details of both Ghosh and Mondal show that they made calls to certain "suspicious" numbers repeatedly during that period and both needed to be interrogated further on this count, hence the extension of the custody for both was necessary.

The counsel also said both Ghosh and Mondal had not been cooperating with the investigating officials during the course of interrogation.

Mondal was arrested by CBI on August 14 night. On the same night, Ghosh, who was earlier arrested by the CBI official in the case of financial irregularities case, was shown as “arrested” in the rape and murder case. The main charges against them are misleading the initial investigation which was handled by Kolkata Police before the CBI was given the charge as well as charges of tampering with evidence. There is also a charge that Mondal, who was the first to reach the scene of the crime with his team from the police station, and Ghosh, as the head of the medical college, allowed so many persons at that place, leaving the scope for tampering with the evidence.

Meanwhile, the CBI on Tuesday submitted a progress report on its investigation into the financial irregularities case in R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital to the Calcutta High Court, and was asked to file the next report by November 25.