Breakthrough in Bengal Student Murder: Police Nab Key Accused Deshraj Singh

1 September-Kolkata, India: On Sunday, the police arrested Deshraj Singh, a prime suspect involved in the murder case of a West Bengal female college student, near the Uttar Pradesh-Nepal border. The arrest follows the previous apprehension of Kuldeep Singh, Deshraj’s maternal uncle, in Gujarat.

The authorities placed Deshraj under transit remand at the Kotwali police station in Krishnanagar. Investigators named the victim Ishita Mallick, who reportedly shot herself thrice in her head at her home in Krishnanagar on 25th August.

According to a source, Deshraj lived with her mother and sister in a rented house in Kanchrapara, North 24 Parganas. His father is a BSF jawan.

The investigation which led to the suspect

After arresting Kuldeep Singh, the police later shared the details that they received a solid lead, revealing that Kuldeep helped the suspect Deshraj escape after the gruesome murder.

The investigators also examined Deshraj’s criminal family background by interviewing some of his relatives, including his two uncles, Mangal Singh and Dangal Singh, who have “recently been released from jail” and who are accused of murder, among other offences.

Reports indicate that Deshraj prominently killed Ishita after she ended her relationship with him. He allegedly sent her a video of himself trying to end his life and put pressure on her to keep the connection going. Police believe he “planned her murder” while she was still unwilling to make amends. Investigators are questioning Deshraj.

Some sources also revealed that Deshraj’s grandfather, Saryu Prasad Singh, is a local ‘Mukhiya’ and the younger cousin of Deshraj Nitin Pratap Singh, who lives in Gorakhpur. Investigators are looking into whether Deshraj and Nitin colluded in the murder after Deshraj allegedly spoke with Nitin before the killing.

Police on the investigation

The Kotwali police believe that the suspect reportedly fled back to his ancestral home in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh. Due to this, the Kotwali police led several teams from Krishnanagar to conduct an extensive search, during which they found and arrested him.

During the examination, investigators found a bullet in Mallick’s skull, and the original post-mortem report stated that she died from three gunshot wounds to the head, two on the right side and one at the rear, according to the police. According to officials, they gave her family access to her body late Monday afternoon.

The police also further added that both Ishita Mallick and Deshraj Singh were former classmates.