Bengal Rape-Murder Accused Dies in Police Encounter

• Accused Prahlad Das, 23, died during crime scene reconstruction in Gaighata.
• Police allege he snatched an officer’s revolver and opened fire.
• The victim’s parents reacted to the accused’s death, while additional police were deployed amid local tension.
• The case marks the second similar encounter involving a rape-and-murder accused in West Bengal in three months.

GG News Bureau
Gaighata, 27th Oct: A 23-year-old man accused of raping and murdering a 17-year-old girl in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district died in a police encounter during a crime scene reconstruction exercise on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, police said.

The accused, identified as Prahlad Das, had been taken to the crime spot in Gaighata following his arrest in connection with the case. According to police, he allegedly snatched a service revolver from an escorting officer and opened fire at the personnel. Police retaliated in self-defence, leaving Das critically injured.

He was taken to Chandpara Rural Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Police said no personnel were injured in the firing.

Authorities are likely to examine how the accused managed to seize the officer’s firearm and the sequence of events leading to the encounter.

Following news of Das’s death, his family members reached the hospital and expressed anger. Tension was reported in the area, prompting the deployment of additional police personnel at the hospital and nearby locations to maintain law and order.

Second Such Encounter in Three Months
The incident is the second reported case in West Bengal in three months in which a rape-and-murder accused was killed in police firing during crime scene reconstruction.

In July, Pravas Mondal, an accused in the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, was killed in a similar encounter. Police had then claimed that Mondal snatched an escorting officer’s revolver and opened fire while attempting to escape, prompting police to retaliate.

Victim’s Parents React to Accused’s Death
The victim’s parents said they had been informed that Das was killed after allegedly attempting to escape and firing at police personnel.

The girl’s father expressed anguish over the loss of his daughter, saying he would never get her back. He said that, based on what police had told him, the action taken after the accused allegedly tried to escape was justified.

The victim’s mother, Kanika Biswas, described the accused’s death as “a good thing”, saying she had heard that he attempted to flee after opening fire at the police.

West Bengal Panchayat Minister Dilip Ghosh also defended the police action, saying that those who defy the law must face the consequences. He said the police had a responsibility to ensure justice and argued that such action could be necessary to restore public confidence in law enforcement.

How the Case Unfolded
The encounter came a day after the body of the 17-year-old Class 11 student was recovered near a relative’s house in Gaighata. The girl’s body was found on Sunday morning and sent for post-mortem examination.

According to her family, they had been staying at her maternal uncle’s house because of her mother’s illness. The family alleged that the girl was raped and murdered.

Relatives said the teenager had attended a musical and cultural programme near her home on the night of October 24. She reportedly received a phone call around midnight and left the venue but did not return. After the programme ended, family members searched for her but could not find her.

Her body was discovered near a relative’s house the following morning. The family alleged that she had been sexually assaulted before being killed.

Following a complaint lodged at Gaighata Police Station, Das, who was also related to the victim, was detained for questioning and later arrested.