By Soumitra Nandi
Kolkata: The Centre on Friday rejected West Bengal government’s request for a CBI probe into the gang rape of a 71-year-old nun at a convent school at Ranaghat in Nadia district that caused a nation-wide outrage.

Senior officials in the Home Ministry said that a recommendation of the West Bengal government had been received for a CBI probe into nun gang rape case and it had “expressed regret”. The decision had been communicated to the state government, said a home department official.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on March 19 had announced that her government had recommended for a CBI probe and also assured to provide all necessary cooperation and assistance to CBI for investigation in this case, taking into account the seriousness and sensitivity of the case. 

The Sister Superior of a convent school was allegedly gang raped by a band of bandits at the Gangnapur  school in Ranaghat subdivision of Nadia district on March 14 after which a CID probe was ordered into the incident.

The state CID had already arrested two persons, both Bangladeshi nationals, in connection with the case.

Salim was picked up from a slum area on Pirkhana street in Nagpada, South Mumbai in the wee hours on Thursday. The Mumbai Crime Branch provided the necessary manpower while the Bengal CID conducted the raid at his sister’s house where he had been hiding.

According to sources the sleuths used ‘mobile tower dumping technology’ to track the accused.  By this technology, the officers traced the call details of the nearest tower situated adjacent to the convent. It was found that a call from a number registered at that tower before and after the crime has also been used in Mumbai. 
Three days ago, the number was provided to the Mumbai Crime Branch and was traced to the address from where the arrest was conducted. On receiving the feedback, two member CID team led by DSP Pinaki Ranjan Das reached Mumbai on Wednesday and with the assistance of Mumbai police arrested Salim. He was involved in three previous  incidents of dacoity earlier too.

On the other hand, interrogation of Salim revealed that a gang of around 7to 8 members from Bangladesh had come to the state to attend a wedding ceremony at the residence of Gopal Sarkar of Goalbati,  Habra in North 24 Parganas district, a few days prior to the incident. 

A close relative of Gopal, named Milan who had worked as a mason in the  nearby convent area somehow knew that a good amount of money had come to the school. 
He provided the tip off to the gang and the operation was carried out.

“We suspect that the other gang members had fled to Bangladesh,” said a senior CID officer.

Sarkar had provided shelter to the miscreants before the crime occurred, said a CID officer.. Sarkar, the second suspect was produced before a local court and remanded to 14-day CID custody on Friday.