Biswabrata Goswami
KRISHNAGAR, 3 SEP: The murder of 19-year-old college student Ishita (Isha) Mallick took a decisive turn today when her mother and brother identified the prime accused, Deshraj Singh, during a Test Identification (TI) parade inside the Krishnagar district correctional home.
Brought under tight security to the facility around 2 p.m., Ishita’s mother Kusum Mallick and her younger son pointed out Deshraj without hesitation before a magistrate. “I have been able to identify him a hundred percent,” Kusum said afterwards, her voice breaking. “After seeing him, I cannot forget how he killed my innocent daughter.” Ishita’s father, Dulal, who was also present, expressed faith in the judicial process: “I trusted the police, now I trust the judiciary. I want him to get capital punishment.”
The TI parade came just 48 hours after Singh’s dramatic arrest near the Indo-Nepal border. The 24-year-old fugitive was tracked down on Sunday evening at Nautanwa-Beria Bazar in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district, barely a few kilometres from the international checkpost. Police officials admitted that a delay of “a few hours” might have enabled him to slip into Nepal. His mobile phone and multiple SIM cards have been seized for forensic analysis.
Superintendent of Police Amarnath K, briefing reporters at Kotwali police station on Monday, said Singh’s act of violence stemmed from personal frustration. “Six months ago, Deshraj had been spurned in a romantic relationship. The rejection became the motive behind this crime. We are pursuing every lead to uncover the full conspiracy,” he said.
The crime itself unfolded in broad daylight last Monday, shocking Krishnagar’s residents. Singh allegedly stormed into the Mallick residence at Manikpara — barely 500 metres from several government offices — and fired three rounds at Ishita from close range. She collapsed instantly. As he fled, Kusum and her son encountered him outside the house. Singh reportedly tried to fire at Kusum, but his gun misfired before he vanished into the crowd.
The week-long manhunt that followed drew in multiple states and culminated in the arrest of Singh’s maternal uncle, Kuldeep Singh, from Jamnagar, Gujarat, on Saturday night. Investigators allege Kuldeep not only sheltered the fugitive but also arranged forged documents with the help of his daughter, who is now under police radar. Singh’s father, a serving Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, has also been questioned and placed under “virtual house arrest” for allegedly aiding his son’s escape. Police are probing the wider family network, including associates like Nitin Pratap, suspected of assisting during Deshraj’s abscondence.
Even as the net tightens around Singh’s family and enablers, the investigation has opened an unusual psychological dimension. According to DSP Shilpi Paul, both the accused and the victim were “heavily addicted” to online shooting games. “The victim most of the time used to escape into the virtual field,” Paul observed, adding that a recent case in Krishnagar also involved a young woman immersed in similar gaming worlds. “The new generation is mostly engrossed in virtual realities. When they fail to negotiate with reality, such crimes or even suicides take place,” she warned.
The police’s psycho-mental analysis suggests that the crime reflected a troubling overlap between online obsession and real-world violence. “Belonging to the virtual world was probably part of the game itself in this case,” DSP Paul remarked, hinting at how Singh may have blurred fantasy with lived experience.
