Kolkata, Jul 6: The Special Investigation Team probing the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district arrested one more suspect Monday, officials said.

With the fresh action following overnight raid and search operations, the total arrests in this connection so far have reached two. The first accused was arrested on Sunday evening. Both the arrested persons will be presented before a district court on Monday, and the police will seek their custody for further probe.

However, the police have declined to identify the two arrested persons till the time they are presented before the court. At the same time, three other persons have been detained for questioning in the matter.

An insider from the Baruipur Police District in South 24 Parganas said that after the first accused was interrogated on Sunday evening, he gave some vital information. “Based on his interrogations, different police teams conducted night-long raids and search operations at different locations in the district, following which the second accused was arrested, and three others were detained for interrogation,’ the official from Baruipur Police District said.

The body of the 12-year-old girl was recovered from a pond on Sunday morning. She had been missing since Saturday. Tension flared up in the area on Sunday over the recovery of the minor's body. There were also allegations that a young man was beaten to death by an agitated mob. A six-member SIT has already been formed in this matter.

Family members of the deceased girl claimed that the victim was raped and murdered. However, the police have not confirmed this allegation so far. The autopsy of the minor's body was completed on Sunday night. Police have said that the reason for the murder will be known only after the autopsy report surfaces. The autopsy report, according to the police, will also confirm whether she was raped or not and based on the report, another case will be registered accordingly.

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Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday spoke to the father of the victim and assured the latter of a proper investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress has alleged that a huge police deployment has been made in front of the residences of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s general secretary, at Kalighat in South Kolkata since Sunday evening.

The former ruling party had alleged that these huge police deployments, coupled with route marches by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in front of the residences of Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, were done deliberately to prevent them from reaching Baruipur and meeting the family members of the victim minor girl.

(IANS)