A teenaged student’s disappearance under mysterious circumstances from a residential school in Beliaghata triggered tension on Sunday. The mystery intensified when the boy’s senior alleged that he was murdered and his body was disposed of. Shantanu Mondal, 14, the missing boarder of Lee Collins High School at Beliaghata Main Road, is yet to be traced out by the police.
The Class 9 student was staying at school’s hostel, Lee Collins Boys’ Home. He was subjected to ragging by his seniors, the police suspect. On September 9 afternoon, Shantanu reportedly stepped out of the hostel.
Deputy commissioner of police(eastern suburban division) Dhrubajyoti Dey said, “He was absent during the roll-call at the hostel at around 5.30 pm.” Next day, Shantanu’s mother Kalpana Mondal visited the hostel to see her son.
Failing to get any information from the hostel authorities she lodged a missing diary at Beliaghata police station. On Sunday morning, a Class 1 student claimed that Shantanu was punched on chest by another student after being gagged with a towel and then was thrown into a nearby bush.
His claims brought Mainak Bhattacharya, a Class 10 student and hostel in-charge Babla under scanner.
A search by the cops and locals led to the recovery of Shantanu’s clothes and bag from the bush. Mainak has been detained. Questioning him, the cops found that he had beat Shantanu before the latter’s disappearance.
A day-long search by the disaster management group divers in the school’s and neighbouring ponds and sniffer dogs in the locality went in vain.
Mr Dey added, “The murder angle is yet to be proved. A case of missing with abduction suspicion has been started. We are also probing other angles with the help of the detective department. There are instances of students going missing from the school in the past.”