“The idea that we walked over her is bizarre”: disbelief at possible location of Sumanta

The morning after the possible breakthrough in the search for the body of the missing student Sumanta Bansi, it is quiet again on the Neutronweg in Hoorn. The barriers at the Hoorn 80 business park have been removed and the location is once again public land. At Crescendo, the day before is of course the talk during the coffee break.

Almost nothing reminds us of the situation from just a day ago. No police cars, no sniffer dogs, no people in white suits and no barrier tapes. Only a pair of forgotten detective gloves recall the surreal situation that took place here yesterday afternoon. And a piece of plowed ground close to a fence, the suspected site.

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Every now and then a car pulls up, probably out of interest. There are no flowers. “Perhaps they will be deposited when it becomes known that it is indeed Sumanta”, suspects Anouk Peerdeman.

Peerdeman works as an administrative assistant at the training center. A day after the events for their company, it is the talk of the town. While enjoying a cup of coffee, the bizarre working day is discussed again.

‘Suspect did not want to be recognized’

Up close they saw everything flash before them yesterday. “Suddenly a lot of police came and we saw pistols. Then you were shocked. We first thought of a raid,” says her colleague Camiel De Decker.

Our reporter was present at the site yesterday, in the video below he will update you on the state of affairs. Text continues

“It naturally attracted the attention of many colleagues. A little later, lawyer Theo Hiddema and the suspect arrived in a van. The latter did not want to get out at first, because he did not want to be recognized. So two other vans were quickly put in front. had designated the spot, many more officers and detectives came and the place was closed. At the end of the working day we just went home.”

Trammelant

At the time of Sumanta’s disappearance – February 2018 – the building on Neutronweg was empty. “We only started the company here in September 2018. That girl had been missing for a while. Before that, it had been empty for a few years, just like the building opposite. In the beginning this was quite a restless place, a lot of trammelt in the evenings. Dealing and such. After we have placed cameras and there is also a light in the evening, that is a lot less.”

The place where Sumanta was most likely found is known to the employees of the training center. “We often dump grass, leaves and branches there. Then the municipality comes to collect it,” says De Decker. Dogs are also regularly let out.

Bizarre

Peerdeman: “Recently, a nest with six rabbits was dumped, exactly on that part. So we are still on our knees with colleagues to catch those critters. The idea that we walked over her is too bizarre for words.”

The Sumanta case was regularly discussed at the coffee table, says Anouk Peerdeman. “When another area was swept, we said to each other: ‘I hope they find her’. Still, I am happy for the parents in a way, when it comes to Sumanta. Hopefully they will finally find some peace.”