Rumours being spread on Chopra deaths, families misguided to tamper with evidence: WB Police

Kolkata, Jul 23 (PTI) Rumours are being spread about the "unnatural" death of a girl and a boy in Chopra area of North Dinajpur district of West Bengal to "misguide" their families and "conceal and tamper" with evidence, police said.

Referring to the postmortem reports of the deceased, police said they died due to poisoning and did not have any external or internal injuries.

"Some persons are still trying to spread rumours in the incident of unfortunate death of two young persons in Chopra PS area of Islampur PD. As per the Post Mortem reports of both the boy and the girl, they died due to poisoning and none of them had any external or internal injuries.

"Family members being misguided by some persons with vested interest tried to conceal and tamper with the evidence.

These persons then hatched up a conspiracy to create L&O problem and for that purpose they spread a story which they knew to be completely false," the West Bengal Police said in a tweet on Wednesday night.

The state police also appealed to people not to pay heed to these rumours.

"People are requested not to get carried away by rumours. WBP is committed to maintain peace. Please inform police in case of any incident or any valuable information," the police said.

Alleging rape and murder of the girl, a mob had gone on a rampage in the district on July 19, setting fire to several police vehicles and government buses on the National Highway 31 in the Chopra area near Siliguri.

The girl, who had gone out of her house at Sonapur village on July 19 morning to relieve herself, was found dead a few hours later. The villagers alleged that she was raped before being murdered.

The next morning, dead body of the boy, accused by the girl's family of raping and murdering her, was found in a pond in the same Chopra area.

The father and two brothers of the girl have been arrested after the boy's family had lodged a complaint alleging that he was murdered by the girl's family.

The police are investigating whether the two deaths are linked in any way.