KOLKATA: The campus gang rape of a 24-year-old Kolkata law student final week had been a criminal offense within the making since prime suspect Monojit Mishra, who allegedly “set eyes on her” the day she enrolled for the course, determined to “teach her a lesson” for repeatedly rebuffing his advances, co-accused Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukherjee instructed police.Investigators quoted the arrested duo as saying that Monojit, a former Trinamool Chhatra Parishad office-bearer whose clout on campus allegedly prolonged to admissions, would obsess over the survivor in conversations along with his interior circle and hatch plans to make her his girlfriend. He even provided her the put up of the school union’s common secretary – supposedly his “final bait” – earlier than planning the alleged assault contained in the campus safety guard’s room on June 25 with law college students Zaib and Pramit.
“Zaib and Pramit said that at least two days before the crime, Monojit informed them that the survivor would be on campus to submit an exam form. They were instructed to keep her there until evening,” a supply mentioned.After the crime, Monojit allegedly requested a few of his trusted aides to be on campus and maintain an eye fixed on any uncommon exercise at Kasba police station, a few kilometre away, by way of the night time. He, Zaib and Pramit left across the similar time because the survivor, who was picked up by her father.Investigators have additionally discovered that Monojit, a brief non-teaching workers member, referred to as a school official the following morning. The official claimed the dialogue was “confined to college-related matters”. Pramit contacted a lawyer that day, police mentioned. He and Zaib additionally referred to as a number of faculty seniors, some with political hyperlinks, pleading for assist. They refused, telling the duo to “face the consequences”, sources mentioned.Monojit instructed police that he was “confident” the survivor would not report the crime, pondering the video of the sexual assault would act as a deterrent. “He had been roaming free despite police filing chargesheets in each of the 11 FIRs filed against him since 2013 and was confident he would get away this time as well,” a supply mentioned.Investigators mentioned Monojit allegedly additionally meant to abuse his goal a second time just a few days after the crime by blackmailing her with a video of the sexual assault on campus, which Zaib and Pramit recorded on a cell phone. “We urge other women who may have faced similar harassment and molestation to step forward and lodge complaints,” a police officer mentioned. All 17 college students who had been on campus on June 25 are being questioned as a part of the probe into what could be a bigger conspiracy behind the gang rape.
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