The CBI team investigating the alleged gang-rape of a minor girl, who died later, in Nadia’s Hanskhali, made its first arrest on Saturday afternoon.

It picked up a close aide of prime accused Sohail Gayali, the son of local Trinamul leader Samar Gayali, on Saturday afternoon. Ranjit Mullick, 21, was nabbed from a hideout in Nadia’s Ranaghat. The CBI team traced Ranjit with the support of local police a day after it raided his house and collected evidence of his suspected involvement.

This is the third arrest related to this case. Sohail a.k.a. Brajo and his close friend Prabhakar Poddar were arrested by the district police before the CBI took over the case.

The CBI will produce Ranjit before the ACJM court on Sunday seeking his custody for interrogation.

Some CBI sources said Ranjit’s name surfaced on Friday evening when they went to Prabhakar’s residence to search for evidence.

Prabhakar’s mother told the sleuths that she had witnessed Ranjit vomiting on the road after attending Sohail’s birthday party on April 4 when the alleged gang-rape of the 14-year-old girl took place.

The statement was corroborated when sleuths questioned Sohail on Saturday at its camp office in Krishnagar.

The CBI team immediately raided Ranjit's residence and collected his clothes that he wore on the date of crime and sent it for forensic tests. The sleuths also sealed his room.

The team collected samples of evidence from the spot where the 14-year-old girl was found lying on the road before she was helped by some local people to reach home on April 4. She died a few hours later before daybreak on April 5.

CBI sources said that all the three accused arrested so far would be questioned together to corroborate the factual details of the alleged rape and murder.