Home alone, elderly cancer patient killed in Kolkata

KOLKATA: A 74-year-old cancer patient who was alone at her

Behala

residence was allegedly murdered on Thursday morning. Subhra Ghosh Dastidar was found smothered in her bedroom on the first floor of the two-storey building at Sisirbagan, around 20 minutes from

Diamond Harbour

Road.


Cops said a few expensive pieces of jewellery and the victim’s mobile phone were missing and suspect robbery to be prime reason behind the murder. A house painter and a carpenter who visited the Ghosh Dastidar residence on Wednesday have emerged as suspects, along with a few others. Police sources said they were using technical evidence to zero in on the accused.

“The way in which the accused entered the house indicates the person was acquainted with the victim,” said Murlidhar Sharma, joint CP (crime).

According to neighbours, Ghosh Dastidar lived with her son Subrata, daughter-in-law Sangeeta and four-year-old granddaughter. “All three usually leave the house between 9am and 9.30am. They couple go to work while the child attends school. While Subrata works in a private firm, Sangeeta works in the forest department. Since Ghosh Dastidar had once fainted at home due to her illness, the family depended on an eight-year-old help, Pratima Bairagi, and neighbours like Gita Mallick to make sure she stayed safe,” said a police source.

Around 10.30am, Ghosh Dastidar spoke to her family, informing them that she was keeping well. Around 11.40am, Bairagi arrived at the house and rang the doorbell. She left after nobody answered. About 20 minutes later, she returned and rang the bell again. When she still got no answer, she began calling out for Ghosh Dastidar, which alerted a neighbour, Mallick. Realizing that something could be amiss, Mallick called up Sangita at 12.26pm and was asked to enter the house at any cost to check on the ailing Ghosh Dastidar.

“Arranging for locals to break the door was not easy even though neighbours gathered around the house. By the time the neighbours returned to the main door, they were surprised to see that it had been opened,” said an officer.

Police sources said that the murder could have been an afterthought. “The fact that several people had started enquiring might have upset the accused’s plan and he might have murdered her,” said an officer.

Cops found the victim lying face down, smothered by a blouse that was wrapped around her neck. Her left hand had been tied to her shoulder. A portion of a saree was thrust down her throat to stop her from crying out. This resulted in some blood loss. A gold bangle and gold chain that the victim had been wearing was missing. The almirah was ransacked but there was the room looked clean. The fact that that the killer knew exactly where to search for expensive items shows he knew the family.

“There are two doors to the house. The one at the rear opens up to a boundary wall that can be scaled easily. This leads to multiple lanes, an easy way to flee. We have brought in sniffer dogs and some CCTVs cameras that we found in the area will help us with the investigation,” an officer said.

Cops said they have detained a few suspects and have launched a probe. “A few raids have been conducted on Thursday,” said an officer.