Baruipur rape and murder case: One key accused killed in encounter with police

Images from the Outer District Hospital, Baruipur, West Bengal, where the body of the accused was kept. | Photo credit: X/@PTI_News

Prabhas Mondal, one of the main accused in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, West Bengal, was killed in the wee hours of Wednesday (July 8, 2026) during a police encounter.

According to police sources, around 12.45 pm, a team from Baruipur police station took Mr. Mondal to Suryapur, within the same police station, for crime scene reconstruction. Police said that just before the reconstruction began, Mondal allegedly snatched the policeman’s service weapon, fired one round at the police team and tried to flee.

“Just before the start of the crime reconstruction at the PO (scene of occurrence) in Suryapur, alleged Prabash Mondal pulled out the arm of one policeman, fired one shot at our team and tried to flee from the spot. In the return fire from the police, Prabash Mondal was injured and was immediately rushed to Baruipur Hospital where he was declared brought dead by the attending physician. Palash Chandra Dhali.

Money offered

Mr. Dhali said Prabash was seen with the victim earlier and his statement led to the arrest of the other two accused the next day. “They offered him some money to bring the child. Further investigation is underway,” he added.

“I have no disappointment in what happened today. He got the punishment for what he did. He also didn’t understand the girl’s pain. What happened to him is absolutely right,” Prabhas Mondal’s mother Sandhya Mondal told the media.

Preliminary investigations indicated that Prabhas Mondal kidnapped the girl and sexually assaulted her before throwing her into a pond. CCTV footage showing Prabhas Mondal with the victim has also surfaced.

Four people were arrested in connection with this crime. The arrested were identified as Prabhas Mandal, Anand Sardar and Dibakar Sardar and Kabir Mollah. On Sunday (July 5, 2026), the body of a 12-year-old minor was fished out of a pond in Baruipur, West Bengal. It was Prabhas Mondal who showed the locals where the body was dumped.

The girl went missing on Saturday (July 4, 2026) and the family filed a missing person’s complaint. After the body was found, violence broke out in the area. The mob attacked police personnel, vandalized police vehicles and blocked roads and railway tracks. One person was also lynched by an enraged mob. There have been allegations regarding the timely action of the police and the escape of the accused from police custody.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari met the family members of the victim on Tuesday (July 7) and assured them of exemplary punishment. Mr. Adhikari promised justice not only for the family members of the victim but also said that those who indulged in mob violence would have to face the consequences. The police arrested 20 people in connection with the lynching.

The accused of sexually assaulting and murdering the girl were charged under sections 63 (rape), 70(2) (gangrape), 103(1) (murder) and 238 (willful tampering with evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO2), 102 of the Act.

Published – 8 Jul 2026 09:22 IST