New Delhi: In a major development in the investigation of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday has assigned the case to two of its most seasoned and successful women officers.
Leading the team is Sampat Meena, a 1994 batch IPS officer from Jharkhand, who has previously spearheaded investigations into high-profile cases which seemed difficult to crack. She spearheaded the investigations into the Hathras rape-murder case, the Unnao rape case and other sensitive cases, earning accolades for her thorough investigations.
Joining Meena is Officer Seema Pahuja, another known investigator of the CBI who played a crucial role in the Hathras probe. Pahuja’s expertise was instrumental in securing a conviction in the chilling “Gudiya” case of 2017, a rape-murder case in Himachal Pradesh that had baffled investigators for months. Pahuja has cracked complex cases with meticulous investigation and utilisation of advanced forensic techniques.
Meena, now an Additional Director, will oversee a team of 25 officers, while Pahuja will lead the ground-level investigations.
This team, having secured convictions in high-profile cases like the Unnao rape case, which involved a BJP leader, and the Hathras case, which ignited nationwide outrage due to alleged police negligence and mishandling is reportedly working to crack all the details at a pac to get the justice delivered to the victim’s family.
However, in Hatharas Rape and Murder case three of the four accused walked free while the fourth, Sandeep Thakur was convicted for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and not of rape or murder.