Monojit 'Mango' Mishra, the main accused in the rape case at Kolkata law college, informed officials that he had assumed threatening to post a video of the rape would scare the 24-year-old victim away from approaching the police, Kolkata Police sources said.
The attack occurred on the 25th of June. During her testimony, the survivor described that she had phoned her father to fetch her immediately after the assault.
After the attack, Monojit, along with co-accused Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukhopadhyay, had left the college campus.
During the inquiry, investigators disclosed that Monojit had instructed his associates to keep an eye on the adjacent Kasba Police Station—situated about a kilometre away from the college—to see if the woman had filed a complaint.
The next morning, Monojit called a college staff member to ask if the police had paid them a visit. Having known that police were on the hunt for him, he allegedly called his legal friends and upper-level students from the institution for help. His cries, however, were ignored.
In the evening of June 26, Monojit and Zaib were seen meeting at Fern Road, near Ballygunge Railway Station—about 1.5 km from the college. They were picked up by the police a while later. Pramit was arrested later in the night from his home.
Police sources reported that Monojit had admitted that Pramit and Zaib had made videos of the attack. They hoped that fear of the video going viral would deter the survivor from lodging a complaint. Investigations also found that Monojit had been harassing the woman ever since she joined the college. A former student and former head of the Trinamool Congress youth wing on the campus, Monojit had come back as a contractual staff member. Known by the nickname 'Mango' among his circle, he reportedly used his political ties to exert power within the college.
Pramit and Zaib told the police that the woman had already rejected Monojit's previous love overtures," which resulted in him planning the act of revenge. As a last attempt to manipulate the situation, he reportedly offered her the job of general secretary of the college union—though this was no longer done officially in a couple of years—bait to bait her into his trap before making his move on June 25.
Quoting sources, The Times of India reported, "Zaib and Pramit said that at least two days prior to the crime, Monojit told them that the survivor would be coming on campus to file an exam form. They were asked to keep her there until evening."
Principal evidence has also been unearthed at the site of the attack—a room once occupied by a campus security guard. Forensic examiners are analyzing items found there, including a bed sheet.
An investigation further uncovered Monojit's atrocious criminal background: he has 11 previous cases pending against him, the majority of which are harassment and misconduct towards women. He was out on bail for the previous cases when the crime was committed recently.
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