Baghi murder case: Cops register statement of 11-year-old son

Express news service Posted: Apr 09, 2008 at 0102 hrs
Kolkata, April 8 A day after Debashish Bagchi (39), a sub-contractor with the state public works department (PWD), was arrested and charged for strangulating his wife Swarnali, the police have registered the statement of their 11-year-old son Diwakar.

The Bagchis are the residents of Hari Ghosh Street in Burtolla. DC (HQ) Vineet Goyal said that Diwakar has told the police that he saw his father smothering his mother with a pillow.

“I woke up as I heard sounds of struggle. My father was drunk. As soon as I started shouting, he tried to strangle me with a cotton towel. I bit his hand and ran out of the room.” said Diwakar.

On Monday night, family members, including Swarnali’s mother Kalyani Sanyal, woke up to Diwakar’s screams and rushed to the room only to find Swarnali unconscious.

After rescuing Diwakar and bolting Bagchi in the room, they informed the police.

Both mother and son were rushed to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, where Swarnali was declared “dead on arrival”.

According to the police, boy’s eyewitness account of the crime is most crucial to prove the case against Bagchi.

During interrogation, Bagchi said that he was under depression due to the huge debts that he had incurred.

Kalyani told the police that Bagchi had asked her for Rs 50,000. But in spite of getting the money, he killed her daughter, she added.