In a landmark verdict, the Tamluk District and Sessions Court in West Bengal sentenced four individuals to life imprisonment on Saturday (August 2) for the horrific murder of a mother, Rama Dey, and her daughter, Jessica, in Haldia, East Midnapore district.
The gruesome crime, which took place in February 2020, involved the victims being sedated, doused with petrol, and burned alive on the banks of the Haldi River in Jhikurkhali. The case, which sent shockwaves across the state, has finally concluded a five-year trial.
The prime accused, Saddam Hossain, along with his accomplices Manjur Alam Mallick, Shukdev Das, and Aminur Hossain, were found guilty of orchestrating and executing the double murder.
According to police reports, Saddam, a resident of Haldia, had developed romantic relationships with both Rama Dey, a 40-year-old woman from Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district, and her daughter, Jessica, whose age has been reported as either 18, 19, or 22 in various accounts. The mother and daughter had relocated to Haldia to live with Saddam, whom they met through social media.
Investigations revealed that Saddam initially had a relationship with Rama but later developed one with Jessica, eventually marrying her. This led to tensions between the mother and daughter, as well as with Saddam, who reportedly sought to extricate himself from both relationships but was unable to do so.
In a chilling turn of events, Saddam and his accomplices devised a plan to eliminate the duo. On the night of the crime, the accused allegedly administered sleeping pills to Rama and Jessica, transported them to a secluded riverside area in Jhikurkhali, and, assuming they were dead, set their bodies ablaze after dousing them with petrol.
Local residents, alerted by the sight of smoke, rushed to the scene and apprehended Saddam as he attempted to flee. The charred remains of Rama and Jessica were discovered on February 18, 2020, and a preliminary probe by East Midnapore police superintendent Indira Mukherjee confirmed that the victims were alive when they were set on fire. “It was a pre-planned murder,” Mukherjee stated at the time, adding that further interrogations would uncover additional details about the motive, the victims’ relocation to Haldia, and whether they were subjected to additional crimes such as rape.
The Durgachak police station filed a charge sheet within 90 days of the incident, and the trial, which spanned five years, culminated in the verdict on Saturday. The court found Saddam and his three accomplices guilty, sentencing them to life imprisonment.
However, the defence counsel, Subrata Kumar Maiti, expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling, claiming it was not based on sufficient evidence. “We will appeal this verdict in the high court,” Maiti told reporters.
The case drew significant attention in 2020, with political undertones emerging when State BJP President Dilip Ghosh alleged that Saddam Hossain was linked to Suvendu Adhikari, the West Bengal Minister for Transport, Irrigation, and Water Resources. Ghosh further claimed that Saddam had previously been arrested for election rigging, though these allegations remain unverified and have not been directly tied to the court’s findings.
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