Sanjay Roy is the man arrested in connection with the rape and murder of Moumita Debnath, a second-year postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Roy was arrested just before midnight on August 10 and is currently under 14-day judicial custody.
He is a 33-year-old civic volunteer with the police welfare cell and had unrestricted access to various departments at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. He was allegedly involved in a racket within the hospital, taking bribes and extorting money from patients’ relatives by promising to secure them a bed.
Those who knew Roy described him as a habitual offender with a pattern of violence against women. His neighbours claimed that he would often return home late at night, allegedly in a drunken state.
He had a history of four failed marriages, three of which ended due to his erratic behaviour and one due to his wife’s death from cancer last year.
Roy was identified by the police as an alcoholic and a porn addict. His mobile phone contained numerous pornographic clips.
The victim, a 31-year-old doctor, had stayed overnight at the hospital to study. CCTV footage captured Roy entering the emergency building on August 9, 2024, at 4 a.m. and leaving 40 minutes later.
Around 4 a.m., Roy entered the seminar room where the victim was sleeping, sexually assaulted her, and brutally attacked her when she resisted. The victim’s body was found at 7:30 a.m.
The CCTV footage shows that he had a Bluetooth device around his neck when he entered but not when he left. Investigators discovered the device near the victim’s body and found that it was paired with Roy’s cellphone, linking him to the crime.
Sanjay Roy was arrested just before midnight on Friday. Among five people who entered the building around the time of the murder, Roy was the only one without a legitimate reason to be there.
He confessed to the crime during interrogation, showing no remorse and reportedly stating, “Hang me if you want.” However, Roy’s mother has come forward to defend her son, claiming he is innocent and was framed for the crime. She alleged that Roy was forced to confess under police pressure, stating, “My son is innocent.”
This tragic incident has shocked the medical fraternity across India. The Calcutta High Court Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam’s bench examined all the documents in the case and assigned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate it.