The family of the RG Kar trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered last year, claimed her phone number was removed from a WhatsApp group and suspiciously used for several months after her tragic death at the Kolkata hospital.
Kolkata: The family of the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital last year stated that her phone number was removed from a WhatsApp group following her death.
They also claimed that her mobile number was used after she had passed away.
During a session at a lower court in Kolkata, the family’s lawyer presented a confidential document in a sealed envelope to the judge, indicating they wished to share additional information they had gathered from various sources.
The victim’s family asserted in a written statement to the court that the trainee doctor’s mobile number was active for several months after her death, based on information they gathered from a WhatsApp group.
On Monday, the family’s lawyer claimed that the Kolkata Police seized the victim’s mobile phone following the incident. The CBI later took over the investigation, and the phone has since remained in their custody.
The victim’s father stated outside the court,
“We think the secret of my daughter’s death lies in that mobile phone. We suddenly came to know that my daughter’s number had exited a WhatsApp group a few months after her death. How can a dead person leave a group?”
The judge has requested the case diary and instructed the CBI to submit an updated status report by June 10.
Also Read: R G Kar Rape-Murder || CJI Sanjiv Khanna Adjourns Hearing to January 29
Advocate Rajdeep Haldar, representing the trainee doctor’s family, told,
“We have submitted our concerns to the court showing the WhatsApp activities that were found even after the victim’s death. The court has called for the case diary from the CBI in the next hearing.”
Haldar added,
“The profile of the victim was removed from a group. It happened in December before the delivery of the judgment. We have raised this issue before the court as further investigation is ongoing,”
The CBI has yet to respond to the family’s claims. Cyber and technology experts indicate that any WhatsApp account may be automatically deleted if it remains inactive for 120 days.
Cyber expert Abhishek Mitra explained,
“A WhatsApp account can be automatically closed if it remains inactive for a long period of time. According to WhatsApp’s policy, if an account is inactive for 120 days (around four months), it may be automatically deleted to maintain security, limit data retention, and protect user privacy. Inactivity means the device hasn’t connected to WhatsApp servers. If a WhatsApp account is deleted, that account will automatically be removed from WhatsApp groups according to the policy,”
In response to the cyber expert’s statement, Halder remarked,
“Let the CBI file its answer in their defense.”
On August 9 last year, a 31-year-old junior doctor was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata. Her body was discovered in the hospital’s seminar room. The incident sparked nationwide outrage and led to prolonged protests by junior doctors in West Bengal, demanding justice and improved security at government hospitals.
Also Read: [RG-Kar Rape Verdict] CM Mamata Banerjee Demands Death Penalty for Convict Sanjay Roy
The trial began on November 11, three months after the incident, in a Kolkata court. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the case from the Kolkata Police following a directive from the Calcutta High Court, has sought the “maximum punishment” for Roy. The trial concluded on January 9.
Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, was convicted on Saturday for the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The crime, which occurred on August 9, triggered nationwide outrage over women’s safety. The verdict, delivered by Anirban Das, Additional District and Sessions Judge of the Sealdah court, came 57 days after the in-camera trial commenced on November 12.